Washington, DC — This week, Democracy Forward and several allies, announced the formation of Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network, a new project to connect federal workers whose rights have been violated by the Trump administration with free legal support.
Since January, thousands of federal workers have been abruptly fired and thrown out of jobs their families and communities rely on. They have an urgent need for legal support, which will only escalate throughout the spring as “reduction in force” plans go into effect. Federal workers’ unions and allied organizations are already fighting back in court, but thousands of federal workers still need individual legal advice and representation. Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network will mobilize and train thousands of lawyers to provide pro bono legal guidance to federal workers.
The network is part of Democracy Forward’s ongoing efforts to protect the non-partisan federal workforce – who work for all of us. Our Civil Service Strong initiative is working with partners to help federal workers navigate through the chaos created by the administration and we are actively engaged in litigation to protect probationary workers – having obtained the first large-scale reinstatement of probationary employees out of the Merit Systems Protection Board – and other civil servants who have been unlawfully fired.
See coverage below:
New York Times: Unions Form Pro Bono Legal Network for Federal Workers Targeted by Trump
The nation’s largest federation of unions has put together a pro bono legal network that aims to help federal employees whose jobs have been lost or threatened under the Trump administration.
More than 1,000 lawyers in 42 states have completed training in order to offer their services, organizers said. The new pro bono group — Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network, which was formally introduced on Wednesday — was formed by the A.F.L.-C.I.O. along with several other unions and civil rights groups, including We The Action, a network that connects lawyers with nonprofits, Democracy Forward, which has been leading legal action against the Trump administration, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The Hill: Unions launch Rise Up legal defense network for federal workers fired under Trump
A network of federal employee unions and legal groups launched a legal defense group to provide counsel to thousands of government workers recently fired by the Trump administration.
Deemed Rise Up, the program will recruit lawyers to provide pro bono legal help to scores of federal workers.
In addition to federal employee unions the AFGE and NFFE, the AFL-CIO, Democracy Forward, the National Treasury Employees Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the American Constitution Society, and the Partnership for Public Service, among others, are supporting the program.
Government Executive: Laid-off federal employees can access legal advice under new union-backed network
As federal employees continue to face widespread layoffs, unions and advocacy groups on Wednesday launched a network to provide legal advice to government workers.
The goal of the Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network is to recruit attorneys to provide individual guidance to federal employees who fear losing their jobs or have already lost them.
Participating organizations include AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Government Employees, National Treasury Employees Union, the national legal organization Democracy Forward and the nonpartisan good government group the Partnership for Public Service.
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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.