NAGE Joins Federal Employee Unions to Halt Illegal Shutdown Firings

NAGE’s participation in an expanded lawsuit helps secure a federal court order halting all reduction-in-force actions during the government shutdown.

The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE/SEIU) has joined a growing coalition of federal employee unions in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s illegal attempt to fire thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown.

The original lawsuit, filed on September 30 by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), argues that the administration violated federal law by threatening to fire furloughed employees and ordering others to work unpaid to carry out mass terminations. The unions are represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP, Democracy Forward, and the Democracy Defenders Fund.

On October 15, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order halting all reduction-in-force (RIF) actions, preventing agencies from enforcing or issuing any further termination notices while the case proceeds. The court later clarified that this order applies to all offices where the unions represent employees—safeguarding thousands of federal workers across multiple agencies.

Following this critical victory, the lawsuit was expanded on October 17 to include additional unions representing even more federal employees—among them, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), NAGE, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

An amended filing this week seeks to broaden the lawsuit further to include employees represented by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE).

NAGE National President David J. Holway strongly condemned the administration’s actions, stating:

“The National Association of Government Employees strongly condemns the Trump administration’s efforts to use federal employees as political pawns. These attacks are not just an assault on our hardworking public servants; they are an assault on the very functioning of our democracy. Federal employees keep this country running every day, and no administration has the right to punish them for simply doing their jobs.”

The expanded lawsuit—and the court’s order halting RIFs—marks a major victory for NAGE members and all federal employees. It ensures that no worker can be terminated during the shutdown while the unions continue their legal fight to hold the administration accountable for its unlawful actions.

Together, NAGE and its union partners are standing strong for fairness, accountability, and respect for every federal worker who serves the American people.