We want to thank the thousands of people who completed our data call on probationary terminations and the individuals who responded to our requests to become named complainants. The information that you provided has been invaluable to us in building our complaint with the Office of Special Counsel. If we have not contacted you directly, you do not need to take any further action at this time. By filling out the form, you have not filed a complaint, you have just provided us with data relevant to the matter. That data will be kept confidential.
Updates (as of March 5, 2025 at 3:04 p.m. ET)
Alden Law Group and Democracy Forward will put out updates on new developments in the case, including if OSC issues a decision regarding the requested expansion of our complaint. Please continue to check back on this post for more information.
- On February 14, 2025, Alden Law Group, in partnership with Democracy Forward, filed a first-of-its-kind complaint with the Office of Special Counsel challenging the administration’s mass termination of probationary federal employees. Our initial complaint sought relief on behalf of six initial civil servants – representative of similarly situated employees at U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Energy, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (USDA, Education, OPM, DOE, VA, HUD). This first stay does not currently extend to others. However, we have amended our complaint several times, including on February 22, 2025.
- On February 25, 2025, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has granted a request from OSC to halt the terminations of the initial six probationary employees. This historic victory is the first step towards broader relief.
- On February 26, 2025, ALG and Democracy Forward filed a supplemental complaint seeking class wide relief, and submitted additional representative complainants, from a total of 26 agencies.
- On February 28, 2025, OSC filed a first-of-its-kind request with the MSPB to pause the termination of over 5,000 probationary employees at USDA. On March 3, 2025, the MSPB requested the names of all probationary employees who were terminated by the USDA. OSC has complied with this request from MSPB. The MSPB is expected to issue its decision on March 5, 2025.
UPDATE:
- On March 5, 2025, MSPB issued a “stay,” or pause, of all over 5,000 illegally terminated probationary employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OSC has issued a press release explaining the implications of MSPB’s decision.
ALG and Democracy Forward continue to pursue our complaint with OSC seeking similar systemic relief for terminated employees at each agency.
FAQ:
- Where can I find out more about efforts by Alden Law Group and Democracy Forward? Please take a look at the FAQ for mass probationary termination at Civil Service Strong.
- Where can I see copies of the complaints? Democracy Forward’s press release provides links to all of the filings. A copy of the initial complaint filed on February 14 is available here, Special Counsel Dellinger’s statement is available here, a redacted example of a stay request contained in Special Counsel Dellinger’s statement is available here, and the February 22 and 26 supplemented complaints are available here, and here.
- Do I need to file my own complaint? You can choose to take whatever action you deem necessary. At this point, we do not want to overwhelm OSC with identical complaints. If you are already potentially covered by our complaint, you may want to wait to see what OSC does. If your agency is very small and we have not contacted you, you may want to consider filing your own complaint. If you have issues different than those raised in our complaint, you may also want to pursue your own claims. You are under no obligation to pursue a complaint with OSC.
- Do I need to update you? No – please do not update us directly. We are overwhelmed by calls and emails. If you have been reinstated, that is great! If you have filed your own complaint or appeal, that is also great. If we need anything from you, we will reach out directly. You are also free to change or update your survey response.
- Can I contact the news, Congress, or my Union about my situation? Yes! If you want to share your story, please feel free to do so. Please also feel free to share the form with terminated colleagues.
- Does the California federal court case against OPM mean I am reinstated? No – at least not automatically. This is an amazing decision, but it did not directly reinstate employees. We continue to pursue our OSC complaint.