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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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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...
OPM Just Killed the “Five Things” Email. Here’s Why That Matters.
For months, federal employees were trapped in a Sunday-night ritual: condensing their entire workweek into five bullet points for leadership’s inbox. Born from a top-down directive...
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...
IRS Rescinded 80% of RIFs Given to Civil Rights & Compliance Staff
In a rare but dramatic pivot, the IRS has rescinded nearly 80% of its Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to Civil Rights and Compliance employees. The agency issued a one-sentence re...
Mindfulness After a DRP Decision: You Did the Best You Could
In the wake of a major federal workforce reshuffle—particularly with agency-wide buyouts and Directed Reassignment Packages (DRPs)—many of you are lying awake wondering: Did I make...
How to Prepare for a Possible Government Shutdown
As of now, Congress has failed to pass 10 of the 12 required spending bills, with current funding set to expire at midnight on September 30. For federal employees, that means it’s ...
How to Fight a RIF Without Paying $5,000 For an Attorney
When a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice lands in your inbox, it can feel like the floor’s fallen out from under you. The panic, confusion, and urgency are real—especially when you l...
When Leadership Fails: What Federal Employees Deserve
A new survey shows what many of us already feel: 95% of federal employees are experiencing rising anxiety, depression, or insomnia in 2025. For those of you showing up to work desp...
How to File a RIF Appeal with the MSPB: Your Fast-Track Guide
When a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice lands in your inbox, the panic can be paralyzing. Questions spiral: What’s my deadline? Do I have any rights? Should I hire a lawyer? And whi...
Paul Ingrassia Nomination Delayed: What Federal Workers Should Know
Last week, something rare happened in Washington: a pause that actually protects the federal workforce. The Senate abruptly yanked the confirmation hearing for Paul Ingrassia, a co...
When the System Feels Against You, Breathe
It’s not hyperbole to say this year has shaken the foundation for many federal employees. Being labeled “swamp creatures” or blamed for systemic dysfunction is not new—but the curr...
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Shaun Southworth & Lydia Taylor
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