Maine AFL-CIO Applauds Rehiring of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Workers, Calls on VA & Other Federal Agencies to Rehire Workers on Administrative Leave

The Maine AFL-CIO applauds the rehiring of five Portsmouth Naval Shipyard civilian employees who were let go at the directive of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Employees of the Togus VA Medical Center who were fired at the direction of  DOGE last month were informed this week that they are being put on paid administrative leave, but have not yet been returned to full employment status and have not regained access to their work emails and systems. Other terminated federal probationary workers in Maine, who work at other agencies, have similarly been placed on paid administrative leave but not returned to full employment.  

“We’re really glad to have these hardworking employees back and they are thrilled to be going back to work to perform their duties,” said Bill Webber, President of AFGE Local 2024 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. “It was a collective effort with our national union, AFGE, in winning this case against the administration for the unlawful termination of these probationary workers, who support the shipyard’s mission to safely overhaul, repair, and modernize the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet. This shows that when working people band together in unions we do have the power to stand up against this kind of illegal behavior.”                                                                                                                            

In a major victory for federal workers, two judges last week ordered the Trump administration to reinstate probationary employees fired at 18 agencies, saying the firing “is based on a lie” and that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) didn’t have the authority to order it. The administration's request for an emergency administrative stay was denied by the 9th Circuit. The lawsuit was brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and others.

On March 13, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California the ordered immediate reinstatement of terminated probationary employees of the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Defense, and Treasury departments. These agencies must also cease termination of probationary employees, effective immediately. US District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore directed 18 agencies to reinstate thousands of federal employees fired during their probationary periods.  

The judge also forbade the U.S. Office of Personnel Management from giving any guidance to federal agencies on which employees should be terminated. In issuing the decision, Judge Alsup pointed out that the administration didn’t follow the law when OPM directed the mass firing, using the same template to produce termination letters with poor performance as a reason even though the employees had received glowing performance reviews.  

“It’s a sad, sad day when our government would fire a good employee and say it’s based on performance when they know good and well that is based on a lie,” the judge said.

This week, former employees of the Togus VA Medical Center who were unjustly fired received word that they are being placed on paid administrative leave, but have not been returned to full employment status, regained access to their emails and work systems and have not been instructed to report for duty as of Thursday morning.  

“While I haven’t been officially hired back yet, to me it’s a step forward,” said Allen White, a veteran and former Togus employee who was illegally fired at DOGE’s directive last month. “This is a small win, but there’s still a bigger fight to be had. There’s still a lot of confusion about what’s going to happen next.”

Judge Alsup said on Monday that putting unjustly fired federal probationary workers onto administrative leave is not allowed under the court’s preliminary injunction, “for it would not restore the services the preliminary injunction intends to restore.”

“Elon Musk's agenda to fire thousands of veterans, gut the VA and jeopardize social security is wildly unpopular with the American people. When working people stand up against these attacks, we can win,” said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO. “We urge the administration to follow the court’s order and immediately call these dedicated VA employees and other federal employees back to work so they can continue to perform the critical services they provide.”