For Immediate Release

AFSCME’s Saunders: Forcing federal workers to plead their case to the same authority that fired them is blatantly rigging the system

WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after the Trump administration moved to eliminate the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent agency that reviews federal workers’ appeals to mass firings:

“Taking away an independent appeals board and forcing federal workers to plead their case to the same authority that fired them is blatantly rigging the system. The administration’s ongoing efforts to eliminate unbiased review of public service worker firings have opened the door to political retaliation, and the communities that rely on an impartial public service workforce will pay the price — which is why AFSCME members continue to fight these assaults.”

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AFSCME’s 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, childcare providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families. 

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