Latest news with #GeorgeO'Toole
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge's order resumes buyout program of federal workers
Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A U.S. District Judge on Tuesday refused to block the Trump administration's deferred resignation program for federal employees after issuing two stays, the first legal victory for the Trump administration. In Boston, Judge George O'Toole, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, had extended the deadline for 2.3 million federal employees to take the buyout offer of eight months of pay and benefits. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management set a Feb. 6 deadline for the program with no guarantee they will keep their jobs. In addition, workers have been required to return to their offices fulltime. Roughly 3% of the federal workforce, 65,000 employees had taken the deal, according to the White House. "The plaintiffs here are not directly impacted by the directive," O'Toole wrote in the five-page order. "Instead, they allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members' questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm. The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees. This is not sufficient." He said federal employees need to take their workplace complaints to the independent agencies set up to review personnel matters within the government. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this was "the first of many legal wins for the president." "It goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities," she said in a statement. On Tuesday attorneys for the unions noted the chairperson of the Federal Labor Relations Authority and a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board were fired. Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit on Feb. 4 on behalf of labor unions representing more than 800,000 civil servants the resignation offer is unlawful, and "arbitrary and capricious in numerous respects." American Federation of Government President Everett Kelley, who the largest government employee union among those suing, said after the ruling: "Today's ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants. But it's not the end of that fight. AFGE's lawyers are evaluating the decision and assessing next steps. Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program. The union represents 800,000 workers in federal government and the District of Columbia. "We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk." Unions have cautioned employees not to accept the buyouts. It's unclear whether employees will not have to report to work and will be free to seek outside employment as the agency said. And government is currently only funded through March. Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that enforces the work of the Department of Government Efficiency and its leader, Elon Musk, to implement plans for "large scale cuts" to the workforce. On Tuesday, Trump said: "I got elected on making government better, more efficient and smaller, and that's what we're doing, and I think it was a very generous buyout actually," he said, speaking in the Oval Office. Workers and allies rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge won't halt Trump, Musk federal worker buyout program
A federal judge declined to further pause a federal government buyout program, enabling the government to forge ahead with its 'Fork in the Road' program. U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole had extended the time frame for federal employees to decide whether to take the unusual offer, which gives employees eight months of pay and benefits if they wish to depart government. In a Wednesday ruling, O'Toole found that the unions who had sued over the directive did not have standing to do so. 'The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees. This is not sufficient,' O'Toole wrote. The decision allows the Trump administration to close a window to accept the deal that the government originally planned to end on Feb. 6. That deadline was extended while O'Toole weighed a bid by unions to temporarily block the Office of Personnel Management from carrying out the program entirely. 'OPM is pleased the court has rejected a desperate effort to strike down the Deferred Resignation Program. As of 7:00 PM tonight, the program is now closed. There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees,' the agency said in a statement. 'This program was carefully designed, thoroughly vetted, and provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures.' The White House previously said at least 40,000 federal employees had taken the deal, roughly 2 percent of the 2 million federal workers. While O'Toole's ruling spells trouble for the broader challenge from unions to the buyout program, he did not otherwise delve deeply into the legal arguments presented by them in determining they did not have standing. The American Federation of Government (AFGE), the largest government employee union among those suing, lamented the ruling. 'Today's ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants. But it's not the end of that fight. AFGE's lawyers are evaluating the decision and assessing next steps. Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program,' president Everett Kelley said in a statement. 'We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk.' Unions have cautioned employees against taking the offer. Numerous provisions in the accompanying contract contradict promises made by OPM, leaving unclear whether employees will not have to report to work and will be free to seek outside employment as the agency has claimed. The offer also comes with legal and logistical challenges. The government is currently only funded through March, raising concerns over whether funding needed to back commitments to employees will materialize. That dynamic could violate the Antideficiency Act, which bars the government from spending beyond what is dictated in its budget and requires it to use federal funding as intended. The American Federation of Government Employees, one of the unions suing over the deal, did not immediately respond to request for comment. This story was updated at 7:19 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge allows Trump to implement ‘Fork in the Road' deadline for federal workers
A federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to downsize the federal workforce by offering employees the option to resign now but stay on the payroll through September. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole, an appointee of Bill Clinton, did not address whether the deferred-resignation program is legal. Instead, the judge ruled Wednesday that several unions that sued over the program lack legal standing to pursue the issue in court. The program, termed the 'Fork in the Road' and promoted by Trump adviser Elon Musk, originally had a deadline of Feb. 6 for workers to accept the offer. Last week, O'Toole temporarily blocked the administration from enforcing that deadline while he considered the legal arguments in the case. But on Wednesday, the Boston-based judge denied the unions' request for a court order that would have required the government to continue to hold open the deadline while courts weigh the program's legality. The unions argued that the offer sent to more than two million federal employees lacked clear legal authorization and was deceptive because Congress has only funded the government through mid-March, so the administration cannot guarantee that workers who resign now will continue to be paid through September.
Politico
12-02-2025
- Business
- Politico
Judge allows Trump to implement ‘Fork in the Road' deadline for federal workers
A federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to downsize the federal workforce by offering employees the option to resign now but stay on the payroll through September. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole, an appointee of Bill Clinton, did not address whether the deferred-resignation program is legal. Instead, the judge ruled Wednesday that several unions that sued over the program lack legal standing to pursue the issue in court. The program, termed the 'Fork in the Road' and promoted by Trump adviser Elon Musk, originally had a deadline of Feb. 6 for workers to accept the offer. Last week, O'Toole temporarily blocked the administration from enforcing that deadline while he considered the legal arguments in the case. But on Wednesday, the Boston-based judge denied the unions' request for a court order that would have required the government to continue to hold open the deadline while courts weigh the program's legality. The unions argued that the offer sent to more than two million federal employees lacked clear legal authorization and was deceptive because Congress has only funded the government through mid-March, so the administration cannot guarantee that workers who resign now will continue to be paid through September.
Fox News
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Judge restores Trump administration's buyout offer to federal workers
A federal judge restored President Donald Trump's deferred resignation program for federal workers in a decision Wednesday evening. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling. The deferred resignation program, also known as the administration's "Fork in the Road" offer, involved asking government workers to either stay or leave after Trump mandated them to return to their offices shortly after his inauguration. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs. This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.
