We Believe in the Power of Solidarity

October 2025

• News Article: Shutdown furloughs will permanently cost the economy at least $7 billion, CBO says

• Alert: What federal employees should know about retroactive pay after a government shutdown- As we enter week four of the government shutdown, the Partnership for Public Service has been getting questions about retroactive pay for federal employees. Click here for answers to these questions and additional information.   

• Alert:  Finding resilience while furloughed (In-person event in Washington, D.C.) Join the Partnership for Public Service at the Former Gov Coworking Space at Eaton House in Washington, D.C., for an in-person gathering aimed at supporting federal employees who are furloughed and those who recently ended their work with the federal government. We will discuss coping and resilience during challenging times. RSVP here.

• When: Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 1 to 2 p.m. EDT 
• Where: Eaton House, 1203 K Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20005

• Alert: A federal judge today ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt the mass firings of federal employees initiated since the government shutdown, siding with two labor unions that challenged the illegal action. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) filed a lawsuit Sept. 30, asserting that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law by threatening to engage in mass firings of federal workers during a shutdown. 

• Alert:  Virtual town hall for federal employees affected by the government shutdown. Hear from experts on topics including the government shutdown, reductions in force, backpay for furloughed workers, and more. This virtual town hall is co-sponsored by Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong, the Partnership for Public Service, and the Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. Click register to sign up for the session.

• When: Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Where: Zoom webinar

• Alert: No Kings Protest, Saturday, October 18th. Click to find an event near you. In June, we did what many claimed was impossible: peacefully mobilized millions of people to take to the streets and declare with one voice: America has No Kings. And it mattered. The world saw the power of the people.  

• Alert: Monday, October 6th at 5:00 pm, Maryland Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen are hosting a Telephone Town Hall to answer your questions and provide an update on our efforts to end the Republican shutdown, support federal employees and contractors, stop Trump's withholding of funds, and prevent a huge spike in health care costs. Rob Shriver, with Democracy Forward,  who is leading the charge in the courts, will also join the call. To join our call, you can sign up to be dialed in here. The deadline to sign up to receive this call is Monday at noon. If you'd like to listen in but not join the call via phone—or if you miss the sign-up deadline—you can also join our livestream of the town hall on my website here. 

• Alert: AFSCME Council 20 will pay dues-paying members to conduct canvassing in Virginia, headquartered at the Northern Virginia Labor Federation (4536-B John Marr Drive, Annandale, VA 22003). Members will earn $75 for each three-hour shift. A brief (approximately 15-minute) training session is provided on the first day an individual participates. The locations are primarily in the Alexandria/Arlington vicinity. 

• After the first date, members can do additional canvassing assignments remotely. If you are interested in participating, please email Wayne Enoch and Chastity Wright at AFSCME District Council 20 and carbon copy Local 2830. Members must use their personal email address and phone number.
   
• Alert:  AFSCME Local 2830 has initiated an action plan in response to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) attempting to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Local 2830 notified employees before receiving the official communication from OJP, as we had anticipated they would. 

• Our notification to employees said in part, "CBAs are binding contracts that agencies cannot cancel arbitrarily and capriciously. Secondly, Executive Orders do not carry the weight of federal statutes or regulations. Employees have the right to a personal representative and can choose a union official. Again, the CBA remains in place, and so does Local 2830. 

• Alert: The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the American Federation of Government Employees today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's threats of a mass firing of federal employees in the event of a government shutdown.   

• Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit asserts that the Office of Management and Budget, through its Director Russ Vought, violated the law through its threats to engage in the mass firing of federal workers during a shutdown. The lawsuit also names as defendants the Office of Personnel Management and its Director Scott Kupor, which issued unlawful and unprecedented instructions that federal employees may perform work during the federal government shutdown to carry out mass RIFs.