Complaint made on behalf of federal employees who were terminated only because of their time in service 

Washington, DC – Today, a class of civil servants across nine federal agencies that were terminated by the Trump administration “with no regard for the performance or conduct” but instead because of their probationary status due to their short tenure with the federal government have filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel. 

This complaint, the first known of its kind, was brought before the Office of Special Counsel, Hampton Dellinger, who was recently reinstated to his position by a federal court after Donald Trump attempted to fire him. The complaint follows a directive to federal agencies by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to identify federal employees who are too early in their tenure to have civil service protections and conduct mass terminations. It notes that “as the situation is rapidly developing” the complaint will be “supplemented” to cover additional agencies. 

“The vast majority of the American people–more than 90%–believe that civil servants should be promoted based on their own merit, not on loyalty. Yet, the Trump administration is seeking to undermine that value by purging non-partisan career civil servants and prioritizing partisan loyalists,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward, who is representing terminated federal employees in the complaint. “Our civil servants do everything from keeping our food and medicine safe, to securing our borders, to improving our communities. We will use all legal tools available to protect them from arbitrary firings designed to politicize our government.” 

“The Administration’s mass termination of employees in their first or second year on the job is an unprecedented and grossly unfair circumvention of the merit principles upon which our civil service is based,” said Michelle Bercovici, a partner with the Alden Law Group, who joined with Democracy Forward in filing the complaint.”These hard-working employees should have the opportunity to let their work speak for itself.”

Complainants are represented by Democracy Forward and the Alden Law Group.

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