Issue 8

May 8

Welcome to the eighth issue of Fired But Fighting, a newsletter for illegally terminated and improperly RIF’d CDC employees. Read on for judicial and advocacy updates, links to media coverage, calls to action, tips, and resources.

To download a PDF of the newsletter, click here.

BREAKING NEWS

» Fired But Fighting Sits Down with an Ossoff Staffer. On Wednesday, members of Fired But Fighting joined a private roundtable with a senior staffer from Senator Ossoff’s office. The discussion covered how Congress is responding (or rather, not responding) to executive overreach, including cuts to congressionally mandated programs, and how Sen. Ossoff plans to push back on disinformation coming from HHS leadership. We now have an open line of communication with his office. The staffer welcomed our offer to provide data and talking points and agreed to personally triage requests from FBF going forward.

» NEW: Contact Your Georgia Senators Directly. Need help or have questions for Senators Warnock or Ossoff? Fired But Fighting now has a “Contact a Georgia Senator” page. We will help you directly link with staffers from both offices.

» FREE BEER for CDC-ers. Join FBF’s (Un) Happy hour this Saturday and get a free beer in honor of Public Service Recognition Week. You can also use this time to write to your representatives using our “official” Fired But Fighting postcards. RSVP here. Sceptre Brewing Arts in Decatur from 2:00 to 5:00.

JUDICIAL UPDATES

» Call to action: Judge Alsup has required that HHS provide probationary employees with a written statement by May 8th stating that their termination was not based on performance. Please be on the lookout for this letter. If you haven’t received the statement by Friday morning, let us know by filling out a Google Form, which Fired But Fighting will share on Friday morning. We will then notify Judge Alsup of HHS’s non-compliance with his order.

» AFGE lawsuit against RIFs: The first hearing for AFGE et al’.s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s RIFs and government restructuring will be held on May 9th at 1:30 pm ET.

» Additional updates on lawsuits for probationary employees and RIF’d employees can be found here.

UNION CORNER

New Tool: ChatGPT – Unofficial RIF Advisor

Need quick answers about RIFs? The Unofficial RIF Advisor is a custom AI chatbot built to help federal employees navigate RIF-related questions. It isn’t tied to a specific agency or union, but its knowledge base includes publicly available resources from AFGE, OPM, Fired But Fighting, and the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network.

The bot is designed to assume you're a RIF-impacted employee, and it explains things in plain language using a professional, sympathetic, and nonpartisan tone. It does not send your conversation history to OpenAI.

Try it out → AFGE Unofficial RIF Advisor

CALLS TO ACTION

» Sign up for the FBF (Un) Happy Hour and letter-writing party this Saturday from 2:00 - 5:00 at Sceptre Brewing Arts. RSVP here.

» Next Thursday, May 15: Attend the “Find Your Next Calling: State and Local Opportunities for Former Feds career expo.”

» Saturday, May 18, from 1:00 - 3:00 pm: Participate in the 50501 “Death to Democracy” die-in event at Piedmont Park. Learn more at 50501ga.org.

» For RIF’d employees: Make sure to attend one of the Reemployment Priority List/Priority Reemployment List webinars on May 12 or 14. Contact FBF if you were RIF’d and did not receive an email about these webinars.

» Keep calling the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and telling them to vote against the dangerous “No Rogue Rulings Act” before it moves to the floor for a vote. A script, email template, and contact information are available here.

» Leave a Public Comment about the Trump administration’s plan to change Schedule F. The comment period ends on May 23rd.

» Sign up to be a Fired But Fighting volunteer! We’re looking for people to help out with all of our teams, but have urgent needs for graphic designers, team leads, and partnerships people.

EVENTS

» May 10: Join us at Sceptre Brewing Arts in Decatur between 2-5 for an Un-happy Hour and letter writing party. In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, we’re treating CDC-ers to a free beer! More information here: https://firedbutfighting.org/events/un-happy-hour-sceptre-05102025

» May 13: Let’s get creative ahead of the CDC support rally! Join us at 3 pm at the Glenn Church Youth and Activities Building at 1669 N. Decatur Rd. to design new signs and make our voices heard. Details: https://firedbutfighting.org/events/sign-making-gathering-05132025

» May 13: CDC Support Rally at Roybal - we’ve previously had Senator Warnock attend and have had media coverage. Stay the course, stay persistent, and meet us at CDC! Get more details here: https://firedbutfighting.org/events/rally-to-support-cdc-05132025

SELF CARE

A reminder: The CDC Mutual Aid Network is a collaboration between CDC Workers, CDC Alumni, Fired But Fighting, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883, and Working Families Power. The network is open to all CDC workers, including FTEs, fellows, and contractors. Request assistance, find additional resources, and donate if you’re able.