Judge extends restraining order to ban Trump admin buyout offer to federal workers

A federal judge on Monday extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” offer to federal employees. 

Judge George O’Toole said he’s taken the matter under advisement, but there was no timeline on when he would make a decision.  

“We are pleased that today the court continued his injunction from last week, continuing to enjoin OPM and defendants from implementing the fork in the road directive, the so-called bailout,” Elena Goldstein, the lead attorney for a group suing the administration on behalf of labor unions, said after the ruling in a Boston courtroom. “We hope that this decision today will provide civil service workers with the assurance that the American people have their backs. And we will continue to pursue all legal options to ensure that they are protected and that the law is upheld.”

The hearing comes nearly two weeks after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs. 

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The government workers were given a choice to either leave or stay after Trump mandated those employees to return to their offices. 

The legal group Democracy Forward is suing on behalf of labor unions representing thousands of employees. 

The unions claim that the administration can’t administer payments. In a letter to its members, the AFGE noted that the buyout offer doesn’t guarantee that the employee’s resignation will be accepted or that the benefits will be paid. 

They also said the buyout offer is “arbitrary and capricious” and “violates federal law.” The unions allege the administration cannot guarantee the plan will be funded and has failed to consider the consequences of mass resignations, including how it may affect the government’s ability to function.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

In a statement last week, NFFE National President Randy Erwin said the buyout shouldn’t be treated as a legitimate offer. 

“This offer from OPM should not be taken seriously,” Erwin said. “The offer is not bound by existing law or policy, nor is it funded by Congress. There is nothing to hold OPM or the White House accountable to the terms of their agreement.” 

“Federal employees will not give in to this shady tactic pressuring them to quit,” added Erwin. “Civil servants care way too much about their jobs, their agency missions, and their country to be swayed by this phony ploy. To all federal employees: Do not resign.”

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Around 65,000 federal employees have reportedly accepted the offer.