Philly congressman, union leaders, workers protest Trump's federal layoffs

Congressman Brendan Boyle, union leaders and federal workers gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood on Monday to protest the Trump Administration’s layoffs of federal employees.

“These are not federal jobs,” Rep. Boyle (D-Pennsylvania) said during the rally, which began at 11 a.m. on the north side of Chestnut Street between 5^th and 6^th streets. “These are Pennsylvania jobs. These are Philadelphia jobs. That is what is at stake.”

Boyle was joined by several union leaders, including Everett Kelley, the National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), as well as Karen Ford-Woods, the local AFGE president who represents workers at the Veterans Medical Center.

“We are very apprehensive,” Ford-Woods said. “People are shaking in their boots. They don’t know whether to take that resign issue. They don’t know whether to retire. Or they don’t know whether to run.”

Thousands of federal government employees have been fired and laid off across the country as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. The cuts are being led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

The White House initially offered a “deferred resignation” proposal in exchange for financial incentives, like months of paid leave, to almost all federal employees who opted to leave their jobs by Feb. 6.

But just before that deadline, a federal judge blocked Trump’s plan, wanting to hear arguments from the administration and the labor unions, which said the offer was illegal.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, about 75,000 federal employees had accepted the offer as of Feb. 12.

Then on Feb. 13, the Trump administration ordered agencies to lay off probationary federal employees, workers who were on the job for less than a year and who have yet to gain civil service protection. Just last week, around 400 Philadelphia IRS employees were among the thousands of probationary workers across the country who were laid off.

“As to how we’re doing, the only answer is poorly,” Alex Berman, the executive vice president of the National Treasury Union Chapter 71, which represents Philly-area IRS workers, told NBC10 on Monday. “I have been on my phone constantly talking to the more than 400 people at my chapter alone who were let go under false pretenses. Now we’re looking at, if you don’t do X, you’ll be fired.”

Berman referred to an email that was sent to federal workers last week asking them to detail their work.

Monday’s rally took place at Independence National Historical Park where two employees were recently laid off, according to a union official.

“I truly worry about the future of our workforce,” Boyle said Monday. “Imagine attempting to recruit the best and the brightest right now to join public service. Why would anyone sign up for this treatment?”

NBC10 reached out to the White House for comment. We have not yet heard back.