Issue 9

May 15

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

To download a PDF of the newsletter, click here.

BREAKING NEWS

» Sec. Kennedy appears in front of Congress. RFK Jr. appeared in front of the Senate HELP Committee and the House Appropriations Committee on May 14, 2025, to discuss why HHS needs less money. In preparation for the hearing, FBF worked diligently to pull together information and questions that we shared with congressional staffers. We were excited to see some Senators and House members drill down on important cuts proposed in the FY26 budget, and many folks across party lines asked good, tough questions. We hope that we played a small part in making sure members of Congress were well informed about CDC going into these hearings. Of course, Sec. Kennedy did not answer any of the questions asked. We mostly heard falsehoods from the Secretary, but he was clear about one thing: we “should not take medical advice from him.” If you are a glutton for punishment, you can listen to the recorded hearings here. Follow Fired But Fighting on Bluesky and Instagram for reactions and fact-checking.

» For Probationary Employees ONLY:

Please join the JamHoff town hall on Monday, May 19, at 11:00 am ET (link to Zoom meeting). Additionally, the folks at JamHoff have asked for our help. Please complete this survey. Have questions you want addressed during the town hall? There’s space for you to add yours at the bottom of the form.

LEGAL UPDATES

» Probationary MSPB Appeals: We have several updates about the MSPB appeals process for probationary employees, including for those who have filed, have not filed, or are considering filing. Please click here to learn more.

» Rise Up Webinar: Federal Workers Legal Defense Fund held an info session with legal experts on RIFed employees’ rights and benefits, applying for unemployment insurance, and more. View it here.

» Inside the Legal Update: RIF’d employees are mobilizing for legal action, and two lawsuits are already underway. The Federal Practice Law Group is offering assistance with filing a request for regulation review (RRR). Last week, a retired MSPB judge provided a webinar for RIF’d staff. New guidance on outside employment. Read the full report here.

CALLS TO ACTION

» Are you fired up after the committee hearings on May 14, 2025? Well, Fired But Fighting sure is. Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram as we continue to fact-check the HHS Secretary’s responses during the hearings. Amplify our messages to save public health.

» The Fired But Fighting store has reopened. Get your order for “CDC Saves Lives” or “Fired But Fighting” tees in by May 30 and get your shirt by June 17. Funds raised toward the supplies and services needed to keep fighting! www.firedbutfighting.org/shop

» 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 with direct links to staffers from both offices. Use it to get connected and get answers.

» 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 we urgently need an Operations Team Lead and volunteers for the Partnerships Team.

» FWAD Group Update: Federal Workers Against DOGE (FWAD) has outgrown Signal. They will be moving to the Matrix on 5/17. If you’re in FWAD or would like to join them, join them over on Matrix. DM @aryn.22 on Signal to get connected.

EVENTS

» May 18: 50501 Death of Democracy Die-In. Piedmont Park from 1 to 3. More info here: https://www.meetup.com/50501-geogia/events/307555432/

» May 20: 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-05272025

» May 27: CDC Support Rally at Roybal - featuring a special guest speaker! https://firedbutfighting.org/events/rally-to-support-cdc-05202025

» May 31: Gritty in Green: An Unhappy Hour and Letter-Writing Event. 🟩 Dress to Resist. Mutation Brewing, 5825 Roswell Road, NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. 2 to 5. https://firedbutfighting.org/events/un-happy-hour-mutation-brewing

UNION CORNER

Probationary Employees Not Eligible for Reemployment Priority List: The Reemployment Priority List (RPL) is only for former career or career-conditional competitive service employees. This includes employees in tenure groups I or II who were let go in the Reduction in Force (RIF) or have recovered from a compensable injury after more than a year.

Probationary employees are in tenure group III. This means probationary employees do not meet the eligibility criteria.

» For RIF’d Bargaining Unit Employees who received an HHS acknowledgment of grievance:

If you submitted a grievance and received a receipt of acknowledgment from HHS, please reply by acknowledging that you received the HHS acknowledgment and copy the following individuals to your response: President Yolanda Jacobs (dbu7@cdc.gov), AFGE Local President (localpresident@afge2883ga.org), AFGE Local 2883 (afgelocal2883@cdc.gov), and Mary King, CDC OHR Labor Relations (ugt4@cdc.gov). It’s important to include President Yolanda Jacobs and L2883 in your communications, as they represent you in the grievance process. CDC OHR Labor Relations is included for awareness.

New Tool: ChatGPT – Unofficial RIF Advisor

Need quick answers about a reduction in force? The Unofficial RIF Advisor is a custom chatbot designed to help federal employees with RIF-related questions. It draws from resources from AFGE, OPM, Fired But Fighting, and the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. The bot provides clear, professional, and sympathetic guidance for RIF-impacted employees. It does not send your conversation history to OpenAI. Try it out → AFGE Unofficial RIF Advisor

Quick Tip

Terminated federal employees are eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) for up to 18 months. Any dependents/ex-spouses who are on your insurance are, too. Below are a few important notes - more details can be found here.

» Terminated federal employees are eligible for Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) for up to 18 months. Any dependents/exes that are on your insurance are too. Below are a few important notes - more details can be found here.

» You will pay 102% of the full premium (i.e., your portion, plus your employer’s portion, plus a 2% administrative fee)

» When you sign up for TCC, you can switch to a different health insurance plan. This is helpful if you need cheaper or different coverage.

» You must apply for TCC within 60 days of separation, but cannot submit your sign-up form until after your separation date.

» After your separation date, you will automatically (no need to do anything) get 31 “free” days of health insurance. This means you will automatically still be covered under your plan for 31 days after your separation date.

» To sign up for TCC, submit form SF-2809 to: HRCS@cdc.gov from any address, which will automatically create a ticket.

» Link to form SF-2809: https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2809.pdf

» Considering the Healthcare Marketplace as a FEHB alternative? National: https://www.healthcare.gov/ Georgia: https://georgiaaccess.gov/