In today’s news and commentary, a judge orders federal probationary workers reinstated, AFGE and other unions sue the Department of Homeland Security, and the Postmaster General announces intentions to work with DOGE.

Yesterday, a federal judge in California ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees who were fired from federal agencies last month. The judge refers specifically to the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Treasury, and ordered the discovery and deposition of Noah Peters, a senior advisor at the Office of Personnel Management. Judge Alsup said “It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie…That should not have been done in our country. It was a sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements.”

Yesterday, multiple unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFGE TSA Local 1121, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security’s cancellation of its contract with Transportation Security Officers (TSOs). The contract was approved in 2024 and covers 47,000 workers.

The Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, has signed an agreement for the US Postal Service (USPS) to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, has said he wants to privatize the USPS. The letter states USPS’s intent to eliminate 10,000 jobs in the next 30 days through an early retirement program.