Issue 1

Written By Sarah Boim

Welcome to the first issue of Fired But Fighting, a newsletter for terminated probationary CDC employees. Read on for judicial and advocacy updates, links to media coverage, calls to action, tips, and resources. When you signed up, you had an opportunity to ask burning questions. We are working to address those questions in upcoming issues of this newsletter.

 Latest Judicial Updates

  • Maryland case: U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Maryland issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Thursday, March 13. The TRO calls for all terminations to be stayed and all probationary employees to be reinstated as of Monday, March 17. All of HHS, including CDC, is included in this ruling. The TRO expires on Thursday, March 27. Any motion for an extension of the TRO is due by Friday, March 21. We also expect the 20 state attorneys general who brought the case to request an injunction, which would end our termination and reinstate us more permanently (at least until the RIF).

  • Reinstatement: Many CDC employees have received emails this week informing them that they have been reinstated and placed on administrative leave until Friday, March 21. As per Judge Bredar's ruling, our reinstatement must last until at least Thursday, March 27, but it seems HHS will be providing CDC weekly guidance on how to proceed. That is why the reinstatement emails say March 21 as of now.

  • Reinstatement emails: Not all terminated CDC employees have received a reinstatement email yet. Emails are still being sent out to those who have not yet received one. If you haven’t received a reinstatement email, you can check that the email address listed in your USAJOBS account is correct. And you can call or email CDC’s HR (770-488-1725 or HRCS@cdc.gov).

  • California case: HHS, and by extension CDC, is included as a plaintiff in Judge Alsup’s March 13th ruling in California. Judge Alsup's order is to reinstate terminated employees immediately and indefinitely, not to administrative leave but to full working status. It remains to be seen how the California and Maryland cases will be consolidated and how HHS will determine which orders to comply with. For now, HHS seems to be following the instructions in the Maryland case instead of the California case.  

Advocacy updates

  • Tuesday, March 18 - The AFGE union (Local 2883) sent a letter to the Maryland court, HHS leadership and CDC leadership explaining that employees terminated from CDC had still not been informed of their reinstatement. The letter requested an explanation from HHS and a detailed timeline of the reinstatement process. Neither HHS nor CDC has responded.

  • Wednesday, March 19 - Terminated employees sent a letter to the Maryland court informing them that CDC did not inform employees that they have been reinstated until after the March 17 deadline had passed, many employees have still not been informed of their reinstatement, and the reinstatement only lasts until March 21 according to CDC's email. The judge’s office confirmed receipt and thanked us. How or whether they use the letter remains to be seen.

  • Thursday, March 20 - Terminated employees sent a letter to the California court informing them that CDC did not inform employees of reinstatement immediately following the preliminary injunction and noting that CDC employees had been placed on administrative leave, despite the ruling from Judge Alsup. 

 Media links for sharing with your network

Calls to Action 

  1. Call HR to ask for clarification on our status (770-488-1725)

Script: I am calling to request that CDC's Office of Human Resources (OHR) provide additional information about the status of the illegally terminated probationary employees. 1) Were we officially terminated on March 14th or will our records indicate that there was no lapse in employment? 2) Will our probationary periods restart on March 17th or will our original start dates with the agency still serve as the start date of our probationary periods? 3) How are CDC and HHS determining which court case (Maryland/Judge Bredar or California/Judge Alsup) to comply with? HHS is named in both. 4) If HHS is choosing to comply with the Maryland ruling, why do the reinstatement emails that CDC employees are receiving state that we are only reinstated until March 21st? Judge Bredar's temporary restraining order lasts until Thursday, March 26th for now.  

We hope CDC and HHS understand that every court ruling and every subsequent guidance from HHS/CDC greatly affect our livelihoods. They determine whether we apply for jobs, accept job offers, apply for unemployment benefits, and look for new health insurance coverage. CDC guidance that reaches us days after the judge has ordered that we are reinstated or that informs us our reinstatement will last for a shorter period than a federal judge has ordered is stressful and confusing. I appreciate your quick response to the questions I've listed and for as much transparency as possible moving forward. 

 You can also send an email to HRCS@cdc.gov

 2. Talk to the Press

 We have multiple media inquiries from people who want to talk to us. If you are interested in being connected to a reporter (either on the record or on background), please reply to this email to let us know.  

3. Engage at the Local Level 

Georgia DeKalb County Democrats are hosting a Decatur/Avondale community town hall on March 23rd at 4:30pm. This is a Decatur community meeting to discuss the local impacts of the recent layoffs and how the community can better organize and engage with representatives. If you live in this designated area, you can sign up to attend the town hall here. If you do not live in the Decatur/Avondale area - but would like to engage with local Democrats to share your story please respond to this email and we can connect you with local organizers.  

Quick Tip: HSA FSA HRA

 An HSA is YOUR money and goes with you when you leave a job. You can use that money to cover any medical expenses during a coverage gap. However, an FSA or HRA typically needs to be spent before coverage ends. 

 Resources 

*This newsletter is not a Union product, however, we are including Union-developed resources for your convenience.  

—

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

— 

On behalf of the Leadership Board

Fired But Fighting
A Coalition of Fired CDC Staff and Allies
www.firedbutfighting.com
LinkedIn
Instagram
Bluesky

Sarah Boim https://www.smallsitesbysarah.com
Previous

Issue 2