The Federal Employee Survival Blog

Cut through the jargon and get the clarity you need to stay a step ahead of agency politics. Each article unpacks new policy shifts, court rulings, and workplace trends, then turns them into actionable tactics—so you can head off discipline, invoke EEO or whistleblower protections with confidence, and keep your documentation airtight. We also archive our most popular social-media explainer threads here, giving you the same insights followed by more than 150,000 people online even if you never scroll on those sites. Read, prepare, and keep your federal career firmly in your control.

 
VA’s Union Contract Termination and the Legal Crosshairs federal employment mspb appeals union rights va employees workplace retaliation Aug 07, 2025

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 walks directly into mu...

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VA Union Contracts Eliminated Overnight—Why It Matters Beyond the VA federal employment federal labor rights mspb appeals va union contracts whistleblower protections Aug 07, 2025

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 researchers—eliminating thei...

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BREAKING: VA Slashes Union Rights for 377,000 Workers civil service federal employment union rights va employees workplace protections Aug 06, 2025

Late on August 6th, VA Secretary Doug Collins took sweeping action that immediately undermines bargaining rights for over 377,000 VA employees—including nurses, doctors, claims representatives, and me...

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OPM Just Killed the “Five Things” Email. Here’s Why That Matters. due process federal employment mindfulness at work opm policy workplace stress Aug 06, 2025

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 with no grounding i...

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How to Challenge a RIF at the MSPB Using the 3-Layer Error Hierarchy federal employee rights federal employment mspb appeals reduction in force self-representation Aug 05, 2025

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: the three-layer er...

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FBI Whistleblower Bill to Help Strengthen Protection for FBI Agents bipartisan legislation fbi reform federal employment mspb appeals whistleblower rights Aug 05, 2025

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 Protection Enhancement Act...

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Ninth Circuit Ruling Revives Trump-Era Union Limits collective bargaining federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals union rights Aug 04, 2025

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’ collective bargaining right...

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IRS Rescinded 80% of RIFs Given to Civil Rights & Compliance Staff federal employment irs layoffs mindfulness at work mspb reinstatement rif appeals Aug 04, 2025

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 reversal memo stating ...

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When Facts Become Fireable: What the BLS Shake-Up Means for You bureau of labor statistics civil service protections data integrity federal employment title 5 rights Aug 04, 2025

Last Friday, the President abruptly fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Senate-confirmed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just hours after the release of an underwhelming jobs report....

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Mindfulness After a DRP Decision: You Did the Best You Could drp decisions federal buyouts federal employment mental health mindfulness at work Aug 01, 2025

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 the right decision?...

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Avoid These Two MSPB Pitfalls if You’re Representing Yourself discovery process federal employment mspb appeals rif cases self-representation Aug 01, 2025

For federal employees navigating a Reduction in Force (RIF) or other adverse action, representing yourself at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) can feel overwhelming. The stakes are high—retir...

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Postal Service Health Benefits System at Risk Ahead of Open Season federal employment health benefits open season opm staffing crisis postal service Aug 01, 2025

A new report from the Office of Personnel Management’s Inspector General has set off alarms for Postal Service employees and retirees: the technology infrastructure supporting the Postal Service Healt...

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