A recent federal workforce reduction that led to the layoff of approximately 360 Montana-based Forest Service workers may soon see those employees being temporarily reinstated. The Merit Systems Protection Board directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate the workers who were terminated based on generic emails, despite some of them having positive performance evaluations. The layoffs were part of a Department of Government Efficiency effort led by Elon Musk, resulting in approximately 10% of Forest Service employees nationwide losing their jobs.
The reinstatement order applies to the USDA workers who were laid off and restores their positions through April 18. The National Federation of Federal Employees has praised the order, stating that the employees were fired unjustly. Some Forest Service employees who were laid off found themselves uncertain about whether to return to their previous positions due to the instability in the agency.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has scheduled a rapid response event to assist terminated federal employees in finding new jobs and accessing workforce development resources. The event will take place on March 12, with the department evaluating claimants’ eligibility for unemployment benefits on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, former Forest Service supervisor Mary Erickson criticized the layoffs as an attempt to demonize and demoralize public servants, highlighting the impact on the agency’s vulnerable employees.
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