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BumRushDaShow

(145,074 posts) Mon Dec 16, 2024, 07:13 PM Dec 16

Donald Trump vows to fire federal employees who won't return to the office

Source: USA Today

Published 2:55 p.m. ET Dec. 16, 2024 | Updated 2:57 p.m. ET Dec. 16, 2024

WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that he plans to fire any federal employees who don't physically return to their offices once his new administration begins and pledged to challenge in court a Biden-era agreement allowing for remote work.

"If people don't come back to work, come back into the office, they're going to be dismissed," Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and personal residence.

"Somebody in the Biden administration gave a five-year waiver of that, so for five years people don't have to come back into the office," he added. "It's ridiculous. It was like a gift to a union, and we're obviously going to be in court to stop it."

The Social Security Administration and more than 40,000 workers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees union reached a deal earlier this month that would allow most of those employees to continue working remotely two to five days per week.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/12/16/trump-fire-federal-workers-remote/77026670007/

17 replies

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Highlight:

Donald Trump vows to fire federal employees who won't return to the office (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Dec 16 OP

"Its a gift to unions" ColinC Dec 16 #1

Probably most of the idiots that voted for him. Mr.Bill Dec 16 #3

Oh well. ColinC Dec 16 #5

Not sure he has the power to nullify the SS union contract which goes until 2029. walkingman Dec 16 #2

Ha ha ha. Irish_Dem Dec 16 #4

Maybe if we're lucky, Mr.Bill Dec 16 #7

1000 lawyers won't change the mind of a bought and paid for Supreme Court. Irish_Dem Dec 16 #8

Doesn't matter SurfLiberal Dec 16 #13

He doesn't. He can't just fire people with no cause. Wiz Imp Dec 16 #9

Re: "Provable necessity" FBaggins Dec 17 #17

He talked about moving agencies out of DC womanofthehills Dec 17 #15

Thinning the herd HereForTheParty Dec 16 #6

I worry they could use vindictive means like transfers, etc. probably all contractual to intimidate. walkingman Dec 16 #10

How about firing employees who spend most of their time on a golf course... LastLiberal in PalmSprings Dec 16 #11

I'd wager that the average SSA employee choie Dec 16 #12

Of Course Roy Rolling Dec 17 #14

Trump is so paranoid bmichaelh Dec 17 #16

ColinC

(11,061 posts)

1. "Its a gift to unions"

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 07:18 PM

Dec 16

Because he is anti union? Who the hell ever thought that asshole was pro worker?

Mr.Bill

(24,903 posts)

3. Probably most of the idiots that voted for him.

Reply to ColinC (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 07:30 PM

Dec 16

He only said it hundreds of times during the campaign. He even held a rally in front of fake union workers.

ColinC

(11,061 posts)

5. Oh well.

Reply to Mr.Bill (Reply #3)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:00 PM

Dec 16

It's not like the entire fate of our republic was at stake or anything

walkingman

(8,636 posts)

2. Not sure he has the power to nullify the SS union contract which goes until 2029.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 07:25 PM

Dec 16

Irish_Dem

(60,651 posts)

4. Ha ha ha.

Reply to walkingman (Reply #2)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 07:32 PM

Dec 16

Who will stop him?

Mr.Bill

(24,903 posts)

7. Maybe if we're lucky,

Reply to Irish_Dem (Reply #4)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:09 PM

Dec 16

about 50 union lawyers that have about 50 IQ points on Trump's lawyers.

Irish_Dem

(60,651 posts)

8. 1000 lawyers won't change the mind of a bought and paid for Supreme Court.

Reply to Mr.Bill (Reply #7)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:11 PM

Dec 16

SurfLiberal

(16 posts)

13. Doesn't matter

Reply to Irish_Dem (Reply #8)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 10:00 PM

Dec 16

Make em fight for every yard.

Wiz Imp

(2,624 posts)

9. He doesn't. He can't just fire people with no cause.

Reply to walkingman (Reply #2)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:38 PM

Dec 16

If there is a legitimate reason to end or cut back telework, then employees can be ordered back into the office (assuming it's a provable necessity). But it has to be done in accordance with the union contract or otherwise with cooperation with the union. Even Musk understands this. Musk didn't say anything about firing people, he just believes and hopes that the mere threat of requiring in-office work will cause a lot of people to quit.

As has been pointed out repeatedly, telework for government employees saves money and increases productivity, so changing the telework policy runs completely counter to their stated goal of making government more efficient.

FBaggins

(27,844 posts)

17. Re: "Provable necessity"

Reply to Wiz Imp (Reply #9)

Tue Dec 17, 2024, 06:00 AM

Dec 17

The question is "who do they need to prove it to?" - they're now the ones that set policy (absent a couple of the examples here where there is now a contract obligation)

It doesn't necessarily matter that remote work can save money and/or increase productivity. They could justify it on the basis of the impact on the broader downtown economy (commercial real estate markets... downtown businesses... etc.)

womanofthehills

(9,378 posts)

15. He talked about moving agencies out of DC

Reply to walkingman (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 17, 2024, 12:55 AM

Dec 17

Can he move a whole agency to someplace like rural Oklahoma?

HereForTheParty

(383 posts)

6. Thinning the herd

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:02 PM

Dec 16

Employers issue back to work orders anticipating people will quit.

walkingman

(8,636 posts)

10. I worry they could use vindictive means like transfers, etc. probably all contractual to intimidate.

Reply to HereForTheParty (Reply #6)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:40 PM

Dec 16

LastLiberal in PalmSprings

(13,009 posts)

11. How about firing employees who spend most of their time on a golf course...

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 08:44 PM

Dec 16

...and cheat at the game, to boot.

choie

(4,758 posts)

12. I'd wager that the average SSA employee

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Mon Dec 16, 2024, 09:45 PM

Dec 16

working remotely gets more work done in a day than trump has done in the last 8 years. He’s being punitive for punitive’s sake. Anything to make a federal employee miserable.

Roy Rolling

(7,227 posts)

14. Of Course

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Dec 17, 2024, 12:47 AM

Dec 17

A sleazy, money grubbing slumlord would want tenants to return to rented office space. His whole life is built upon losers paying rent in his overpriced hovels.

bmichaelh

(655 posts)

16. Trump is so paranoid

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Dec 17, 2024, 02:08 AM

Dec 17

I started working from home before COVID.

My employer did not want to break the law.

I have Crohns disease and my employer could not make an accommodation for me; so I work from home.

Trump may not be able to enforce it for every employee.

He is also the mindset that he does not trust employees to work from home.

The guy who took confidential documents to his residences after he left the presidency and refuse to give them back.

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