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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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Federal Employee Resource Center
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Proposed OPM Rule Could Replace Seniority in RIFs
Federal employees have long understood one principle about reductions in force (RIFs): years of service matter. Seniority has historically been a key factor protecting experienced ...
Political Loyalty and Federal Hiring Law
Recent reporting has raised an uncomfortable question about how some federal hiring decisions may be framed. According to a summary circulated by a law school career services offic...
Schedule Policy/Career Lawsuits: What Federal Employees Should Know
Many federal employees are asking the same question: Is anyone actually fighting Schedule Policy/Career in court? The answer is yes. But the procedural posture of those cases is mo...
Forced Performance Ratings and RIF Risk
Many federal employees assume performance ratings only matter if they fall to the very bottom of the scale. In reality, the bigger risk in a forced distribution system often happen...
IRS Union Contract Termination: The Legal Fight
Federal employees at the IRS and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service recently received alarming news: Treasury announced that the agencies’ collective bargaining agreement with the Na...
MSPB Will Not Hear Schedule Policy/Career Appeals
Federal employees watching the rollout of Schedule Policy/Career should understand a critical procedural change: the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has announced it will not...
Federal Union Loss and Changing Appeal Rights
Federal employees often think of unions primarily in terms of workplace culture, negotiations, or disputes with management. But in the federal sector, union representation does som...
Schedule Policy/Career: A Major Change to Federal Job Protections
Some federal employees may soon be presented with paperwork acknowledging a change in their employment status to something called Schedule Policy/Career. If that happens, it is imp...
IRS Ends NTEU Agreement: What Federal Employees Should Know
On February 27, 2026, the Internal Revenue Service announced it was terminating its collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). The age...
DHS Shutdown 2026: TSA Pay & Legal Protections
As of February 14, 2026, a lapse in appropriations has triggered a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. For Transportation Security Officers and other TSA perso...
Presidential War Powers and Federal Oaths
Three American service members are dead. The President has publicly described current military action against Iran as a “war.” And many federal employees are asking a question that...
Breaking Isolation in a Toxic Federal Workplace
For many GS-9 and above federal employees, the stress does not start with formal discipline. It starts with a ping. A calendar invite labeled “quick call.” A meeting where blame su...
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