Attorney General Rayfield joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against numerous federal agencies for conducting illegal mass layoffs of federal probationary employees. These mass firings will cause irreparable burdens and expenses on the part of the states, both to support recently unemployed workers, and to review and adjudicate claims of unemployment assistance. Moreover, the unlawful layoffs will harm state finances and undermine vital state-federal partnerships.

“We’ve heard from some of these probationary employees who’ve been fired, and their stories are awful,” Rayfield said. “One man working for the IRS office in Portland received his ‘fork in the road’ letter right before he went into a life-saving cancer surgery. And then he was fired. The stress this has caused federal workers in Oregon and across America is insurmountable. All because of a political agenda. It’s despicable, and we’re hoping this lawsuit will bring these workers some form of justice.”

In an effort to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government, the Trump administration initiated mass terminations of federal employees, ordering numerous federal agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees. These personnel are newly hired or have recently been promoted or changed offices, and they are generally subject to a probationary period of one or two years.

While federal agencies claimed, in the form of termination letters, that these probationary employees were fired for unsatisfactory performance or conduct, the firings were clearly part of the administration’s attempt to restructure and downsize the entire federal government. In the lawsuit filed today, the coalition of attorneys general asserts that the administration was therefore required to follow federal laws and regulations that govern large-scale federal “Reductions in Force” (RIF). These critical protections ensure that personnel such as military veterans are given preference in retaining their jobs.

When a RIF results in a layoff of 50 or more employees, the agency must generally give at least 60 days’ advance notice to states governments, so they can provide vital “rapid response” information, resources, and services to affected workers. The federal agencies named in the lawsuit failed to provide any advance notice to Oregon, causing significant expenses and burden on the state as it scrambles to respond to the sudden mass layoffs of its residents.

With the lawsuit filed today, Oregon is asking the court to:

• Rule that the mass firing of probationary employees is illegal;
• Reinstate unlawfully fired employees;
• Stop further similar terminations; and
• Identify affected employees

Joining Attorney General Rayfield in the coalition are the attorneys general of Maryland, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.