Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) is calling for the immediate reinstatement of all unlawfully terminated U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) federal workers. Roughly 3,500 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) probationary employees have been fired by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE in an unwarranted and illegal attack on the civil service. In late February, the NFFE Forest Service Council filed a mass grievance against the Forest Service on behalf of NFFE members and bargaining unit employees who were fired while on probation, arguing that the agency violated federal laws, government regulations, agency policies, and the NFFE-USFS Master Agreement. The grievance requested the Forest Service rescind all terminations of probationary employees, return those fired to their previous positions with back pay, and to cease and desist from terminating other probationary employees. On March 5, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) issued a ruling that probationary employees terminated by the USDA should be reinstated because the agency engaged in prohibited personnel practices and violated federal laws and regulations governing RIFs and probationary terminations. The MSPB issued an order requiring employees to be reinstated for a 45 day period while the board investigates further. “As NFFE has claimed from the beginning of these mass firings, the actions of the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have been blatantly illegal,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. Read more at nffe.org.