Latest news with #BriefFederal
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Philadelphia federal workers rally with Congressman Boyle to condemn employee layoffs
The Brief Federal employees gathered at Independence Hall Monday to condemn the Trump administration's initiative to cut federal spending with mass layoffs. Congressman Brendan F. Boyle spoke out against the job cuts and denounced the recent firings of more than 400 IRS employees in Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA - On Monday, Congressman Brendan Boyle joined federal workers in Philadelphia to call out the recent federal worker layoffs. The representative spoke out against the recent mass layoffs prompted by President Trump's ad ministration. What they're saying "Elon Musk an unelected billionaire, is ruining the lives of 10s of thousands indeed hundreds of thousands of our federal employees," said Boyle. According to Boyle, the layoffs could impact the more than 66,000 federal civilian employees in Pennsylvania. The National President of the American Federation of Government Employees is calling out President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, demanding they stop the firing and reinstate all jobs. "They told us before the election that they plan to traumatize federal workers and that is the least of it," said Everett Kelley. The union representing local park rangers says several were let go as recently as Friday. Employees also are worried if they lose anymore staff, large tourism events will be affected as the city is set to host major events like the World Cup and semiquencentennial next year. "They have to cut programs because theres only so many park rangers to give tours," said Mark Cochran, AFGE COUNCIL 270 President. For maintenance staff they are faced with wither closing buildings or working more over time." Instead of getting rid of those resources and jobs at Independence National Historical Park (INHP), during the rally, Boyle called on the Trump administration to invest in INHP. He also denounced the firing of more than 400 IRS employees in Philadelphia. "These aren't just federal jobs—they're Pennsylvania jobs," said Congressman Boyle. "Independence Hall, the birthplace of our democracy, was already understaffed, and now Trump is cutting even more jobs, hurting our economy and local businesses. And that's not all. Laying off IRS workers in the middle of tax season doesn't make government more efficient—it makes life harder for everyday Americans. Trump and his co-president Elon Musk aren't cutting waste, they're killing good-paying jobs and leaving working families to suffer the consequences." "Thanks to my good friend Representative Boyle for being here today," said AFGE Council 270 Secretary-Treasurer David Fitzpatrick. "We represent the Park Rangers and all the dedicated public servants here at Independence National Historical Park. This is not a TV show. These are real people, dedicated public servants doing the people's work for the 5 million people that visit the birthplace of America here in Philadelphia each year. We the people will not tolerate Trump and his billionaire friends arbitrarily firing our members, destroying our National Parks, the Constitution, or this union." The Source The information in this story is from Congressman Brendan F. Boyle, AFGE National President Everett Kelley and, AFGE Council 270 Secretary-Treasurer David Fitzpatrick.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois federal employees protest against Trump's layoffs
The Brief Federal workers held a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago, protesting planned layoffs under President Donald Trump. The Trump administration offered buyouts to nearly 2 million federal employees, leading to 75,000 resignations. Thousands of probationary workers, including EPA employees, were fired without warning, sparking outrage. CHICAGO - Federal employees in Illinois are speaking out against President Donald Trump's planned layoffs, gathering at Federal Plaza in Chicago to protest sudden job cuts and mass buyouts affecting thousands of workers. The layoffs come as part of a cost-cutting initiative led by Trump and Elon Musk, who was recently put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). What we know Illinois is home to over 81,000 federal employees, making the federal government the state's second-largest employer. Although the exact number of job cuts remains unclear, the Trump administration offered a buyout package to nearly 2 million federal workers, providing full pay and benefits through September if they agreed to resign. By the Feb. 12 deadline, 75,000 workers had accepted the offer. On top of the buyouts, thousands of probationary employees were abruptly fired, including 388 Environmental Protection Agency workers who were notified by email without warning. Nyla McCranie, an EPA scientist who lost her job, described the chaotic and unexplained nature of the firings. "They went over my supervisor's head to fire me… No one really knew… the rhyme or the reason or the methods to how they were firing people," McCranie said. "People in my division were fired that were a week away from reaching their non-probationary status. So it was really random, really heartbreaking." She also mentioned delays in receiving her final paycheck. "I have not received a final paycheck… and it's been four days now. So that's something that's still up in the air. We don't know how that's going to go." At the rally, Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky joined the protests, urging unity among workers. "We want to make sure all the new hires are not fired. We all have to be together," Schakowsky said. What's next A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block DOGE from accessing government data or firing federal employees. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to grant the plaintiffs' request to issue a temporary restraining order, citing what she said was their failure to demonstrate evidence of "irreparable harm" caused by DOGE's access. "Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight," Chutkan, an Obama appointee, said Tuesday. "In these circumstances, it must be indisputable that this court acts within the bounds of its authority. Accordingly, it cannot issue a TRO, especially one as wide-ranging as Plaintiffs request, without clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm to these Plaintiffs. The current record does not meet that standard." The decision from Chutkan is a blow to the coalition of 14 Democratic state attorneys general who sued last week to temporarily restrict DOGE's access to federal data about government employees. Plaintiffs argued that the leadership role held by Musk, a private citizen, represents an "unlawful delegation of executive power" and threatened what they described as "widespread disruption" to employees working across various federal agencies and government contractors.
