It’s been a week since nearly all 2.3 million civilian employees of the federal government were presented with an offer: Agree to resign from your job by Feb. 6 and keep your pay and benefits through the end of September.
Federal workforce in California
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Nearly 150,000 federal workers are based in California. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is among a dozen attorneys general warning workers against the buyout.
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Bonta called it “a pointed attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans that rely on a functioning government. I urge federal employees to heed warnings from their unions to be very cautious of any buyout offers.”
Now, with the deadline to accept the offer nearing, federal agencies have sent out new terms and conditions in the form of a sample contract agreement that employees are told they can use to “memorialize” the deal. It’s unclear who from the government would sign the agreements, or whether the contracts would be legally binding.
Adding to the confusion, some of the sample contract language diverges from the first email, which came from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the subject line “Fork in the Road,” and other guidance presented to date.
Employees who take the deal are expected to work through Feb. 28
For example, some of the sample contracts sent out state that employees who accept the “Fork” offer are agreeing to work through Feb. 28, to ensure a smooth transition of duties, and will be put on paid administrative leave no later than March…
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