Unions Ask Court To Pause “Fork Directive”

Unions argue the “Fork in the Road” Directive is arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with law

Unions representing more than 800,000 federal workers push back on ultimatum

Massachusetts – A coalition of unions representing government employees, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFGE Local 3707, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) is asking a Federal Court to pause and extend the deadline of Trump Administration’s “Fork Directive” program before a February 6 deadline that seeks to force federal employees to accept an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum buy-out program. The plaintiffs are requesting the Court hold a hearing immediately and no later than tomorrow, February 6.

The unions, which are represented in the matter by Democracy Forward, filed a legal challenge earlier this week, asking the court to require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful. Today, the coalition submitted a temporary restraining order to the court, seeking a court order extending the February 6 deadline for federal employees to accept the Fork in the Road Directive.

“Civil servants play an essential role in providing services Americans rely on every day, and these dedicated public servants deserve better than unlawful ultimatums that undermine their important work,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We are urging the court to act immediately to eliminate the chaos and confusion the Trump Administration’s harmful ‘Fork Directive’ has caused.”

The “Fork Directive” is the latest attempt by the Trump-Vance administration to implement Project 2025’s dangerous plans to remove career public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists. The “Fork Directive” amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future. Even so, as employees face threats from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that failure to resign may result in being fired without compensation, workers are being offered a package that violates the law. For example, it is wholly unclear how the government can promise to pay workers for a deferred resignation when the funds to do so have not been appropriated.

Read the motion asking for a temporary restraining order here and read the draft order here.

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