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Civil Rights for Civil Servants
Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.
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Public “Watchlists” Target Federal Employees: Legal & Safety Risks
Imagine waking up to find your name, photograph, salary, and career history posted online—not by your agency, but by a private group branding you “subversive” for lawful work you p...
Why Forced Bell Curves Fail Federal Performance Management
Federal performance isn’t a classroom test or a corporate sales contest—it’s complex, interdependent work that often requires everyone performing well at once. Forced distribution,...
EPA Ends Union Recognition Under Executive Order 14251
On August 8, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will no longer recognize its unions, terminating all collective bargaining agreements effective immediatel...
OPM Orders Removal of COVID-19 Vaccine Records from Federal Files
On August 8, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a government-wide directive requiring agencies to delete all records of federal employees’ COVID-19 vaccination s...
MSPB RIF Appeal Deadlines: Why Filing Early Matters
When a federal Reduction in Force (RIF) strikes, the clock starts ticking fast. Under Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) rules, you generally have 30 days from the later of (1) ...
MSPB RIF Appeals: How the 30-Day MSPB Deadline Works
If you’ve been affected by a reduction-in-force (RIF), your right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) comes with a strict clock. Under federal rules, you have 30...
VA Union Purge: What the Directive Means for You
On August 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a sweeping order that voided every collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) covering its workforce—except for roughly...
VA’s Union Contract Termination and the Legal Crosshairs
In a sweeping move, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has unilaterally terminated every major collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering 377,000 employees. This action wa...
VA Union Contracts Eliminated Overnight—Why It Matters Beyond the VA
Late last night, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) canceled every major union contract covering more than 377,000 employees—nurses, doctors, benefits processors, and research...
How to Challenge a RIF at the MSPB Using the 3-Layer Error Hierarchy
If you're facing a Reduction in Force (RIF) and appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)—especially on your own—there’s one legal insight that could change everything...
FBI Whistleblower Bill to Help Strengthen Protection for FBI Agents
On July 29, 2025, a rare piece of bipartisan legislation dropped that deserves your attention—even if you’ve never set foot inside the Hoover Building. The FBI Whistleblower Protec...
Ninth Circuit Ruling Revives Trump-Era Union Limits
A significant legal shift occurred last Friday. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted a lower court’s injunction that had been protecting federal employees’ collect...
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