July 18, 2025
The Merit Systems Protection Board approved a class of probationary employees who claim the U.S. Department of the Interior unlawfully terminated them under the Trump administration, saying proceeding as a class is the most efficient way to move the case forward.
MSPB Chief Administrative Judge Sara K. Snyder granted Thursday the workers’ bid to certify a class of probationary or trial employees who were fired in response to a Jan. 20 Office of Personnel Management guidance memo, which led to several cases challenging the firings of probationary workers.
Judge Snyder said that even though some workers have been reinstated, resigned or enrolled in a deferred resignation program and thus waived their appeal rights, “the class is still sufficiently numerous that individual adjudication would be inefficient, if not unfeasible.”
“Having considered the parties’ submissions and the circumstances here, I find that a class appeal is the fairest and most efficient way to adjudicate the appeal and that the putative class counsel and named appellants will adequately represent the interests of the parties,” Judge Snyder said.
According to the order, the agency started reinstating some putative class members March 13.
Overall, 986 workers have been reinstated, 269 resigned, 323 enrolled in the deferred resignation program and 274 are still on administrative leave, Judge Snyder said.
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The workers are represented by James & Hoffman PC, Gilbert Employment Law PC and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC.