MYNORTHWEST POLITICS

Washington joins lawsuit to help roughly 1,000 local federal workers from mass firings by Trump

Mar 5, 2025, 9:35 AM

Washington State Job Outlook...

Washington State Flag (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies over the Trump administration’s firing of federal employees.

A recent press release argues that the mass firings are not only harmful but also unlawful.

“President Trump has engaged in an all-out assault on public service since taking office, arbitrarily firing thousands of workers providing critical services to American communities and pledging to fire thousands more under false claims of performance issues,” Attorney General Nick Brown’s office claimed.

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Washington’s federal employees

Washington is home to about 76,000 federal employees, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department. Based on provided data, the state believes at least 1,000 residents have already lost their jobs, with the number expected to rise.

Brown expressed his concern over the terminations.

“Many of the president’s power grabs have this problem in common – they’re illegal,” Brown said. “These firings don’t save the public a dime, but they do make government less responsive, particularly in the communities across the nation where these employees live and serve.”

The lawsuit was initially filed in Northern California by a coalition of labor groups and impacted organizations.

The original list of plaintiffs includes:

  • The American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
  • The Main Street Alliance
  • The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
  • Common Defense Civic Engagement
  • The Western Watersheds Project
  • AFGE Local 1216
  • AFGE Local 2110
  • VoteVets
  • United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP).

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Washington joins lawsuit to help roughly 1,000 local federal workers from mass firings by Trump