A Federal judge in Massachusetts placed the Trump Administration’s “deferred resignation” offer to Federal employees on hold until Monday, according to confirmation from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) obtained by MeriTalk.
A lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Democracy Forward on behalf of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and several other unions, asked for a delay in the implementation of the program to provide time for oral arguments refuting the program’s legality.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. said he would enjoin the program for the parties to deliver oral arguments in a hearing, which is set for 2 p.m. on Monday.
“We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program. We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
The “deferred resignation” program offered full pay and benefits until Sept. 30 for Federal employees who agreed to quit by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 6. OPM said agencies will still be able to process resignations until the new deadline of Feb. 10.
O’Toole also ordered the government to send out emails to Federal employees notifying them of the offer’s updated deadline.
