FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (DC News Now) — Two federal judges have now ruled tens of thousands of fired probationary federal workers must be re-hired. But we’re learning some have still not heard from their managers.
It’s left many confused and wondering if they want to go back considering this could be temporary.
“It’s a whirlwind and it’s kind of hard not to be glued to my phone,” said Jonathan Curry, a fired IRS worker.
In the weeks since Curry was fired from the IRS, the fate of his job — and those once held by thousands of civil servants — has been up in the air.
Protests took place outside several federal agencies and courts were asked to rule on whether the firings of probationary workers were legal
Curry has been waiting for some notice about what that ruling might mean for him, and so far he hasn’t received it. He also doesn’t have his work computer or his ID badge, and he’s not sure when an answer could come. He fears it could be some time before any return to work, recalling the length of his onboarding.
“It took me time to get my ID badge so I could have building access [when I was first hired],” he said. “Took time to get me a work laptop and then functioning access to the systems I needed access to.”
But even when that gets sorted out he and others are debating if they want to go back.
“You first hear that your job is being reinstated, you think, ‘Hooray, I get my job back,'” he said. “Then realistically, you think, what is that going to look like? And do I want to?”
Curry says his IRS job was his dream job. But he’s lost trust — not in his agency, but in the current administration.
“I would certainly love to get back into public service at some point in my career,” he said. “But… I’m not sure I’d be very comfortable working under this current administration. They seem to be making a lot of really seismic shifts in how the public service is treated and viewed. That would just create a lot of uncertainty for my family.”
