Federal worker unions are reviving their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s “fork in the road” voluntary resignation offer to their members.
The American Federation of Government Employees, joined by two other unions, is seeking to stop federal agencies from giving their employees the option to exit voluntarily rather than wait out future workforce cuts.
The amended complaint, filed March 31 at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is the latest legal challenge seeking to block President
The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s HR division, first sent the offer to workers across the government shortly after Trump took office. More than 75,000 employees accepted it before the Feb. 12 deadline, OPM’s spokeswoman said at the time.
In their amended complaint, the unions pointed to emails the Department of Defense and Small Business Administration sent to employees March 29 offering them the choice to resign on their own in exchange for pay and benefits through Sept. 30.
Around the same time, agencies including the departments of Transportation, Housing, Agriculture, and Energy sent similar messages to their workers. Eligibility to accept varies by agency.
Judge George O’Toole in mid-February ruled that offer could move forward after AFGE sued to stop it.
The case is Am. Fed. of Gov’t Emp. v. Ezell, D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10276-GAO, amended complaint filed 3/31/25.
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