Labor Department Reinstates About 120 Probationary Workers: Union

They were told to report back to work on March 10, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.

The Department of Labor in Washington on Feb. 19, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Department of Labor is reinstating approximately 120 probationary employees fired by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a union representing them.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said on March 7 that the department informed the workers that they were reinstated effective immediately and told them to report to work on March 10.

The workers were also told that supervisors would use the remainder of their probationary period to determine if their remaining with the department would be in the best interest of the public.

“It’s our understanding that this decision affects about 120 employees, most of whom had been placed on administrative leave,” Tim Kauffman, an AFGE spokesperson, said in a statement.

The Department of Labor and the White House did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.

According to federal agencies and court filings, since Trump returned to office, tens of thousands of government employees have been terminated and others placed on leave as part of the administration’s efforts to reduce federal spending and workforce to enhance efficiency. The terminations have triggered challenges in court and complaints to a board that adjudicates federal employment matters. Lawyers and unions representing the workers say the administration has violated federal law governing the termination of government workers.

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which filed one of the complaints, said in a statement that other agencies should follow the Labor Department’s lead and put workers back on the job.

Several other agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have reinstated fired workers.

A board recently paused the firings of nearly 6,000 workers, finding that they were likely illegal, while a judge ordered the reinstatement of some other workers, including employees of the Department of Defense.

The Office of Personnel Management, which had told federal agencies in memorandums that they should fire probationary workers who had not been identified as “mission-critical,” recently revised the wording of a memo to state that “agencies have ultimate decision-making authority over, and responsibility for, such personnel actions.”

Trump said on March 6 that he had instructed officials to exercise more precision with cuts.

“As the Secretaries learn about and understand the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain and who will go. We say the ‘scalpel’ rather than the ‘hatchet,'” he said.

The president noted that while it was important to reduce the size of the government, the administration wants to retain “the best and most productive people.”

Reuters contributed to this report.