NEW: NSF confirmed that they fired 168 employees today, out of their staff of ~1,500 feds. This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come. - ThreadSky

jonlambert.bsky.social • 4 days ago

NEW: NSF confirmed that they fired 168 employees today, out of their staff of ~1,500 feds.

This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come.

Comments

mkfeeney.bsky.social•3 days ago

I know people fired who were there before I started in 2021. They changed job titles (promotion, lateral, transfer, return from leave) so we're listed as "probationary". These firings are not evidence based. It's a cull to strike fear.

mkfeeney.bsky.social•4 days ago

I heard a bunch of people who have been there over a year were put on the list (in particular, those working in programs that fall under the DEI word ban), with some weak explanation that their probationary paperwork was not done correctly upon hiring. Complete failure of leadership

jrobulls.bsky.social•4 days ago

The lawsuits are going to start piling up.

ahoy-polloi.bsky.social•4 days ago

Fed HR depts rolled over with astonishing speed

mkfeeney.bsky.social•4 days ago

not just the HR depts, but division and unit managers and leaders. very sad

yourauntifa.bsky.social•3 days ago

The HR folks don’t have much of a choice. They know they’ll eventually walk the plank at the end. Now or later, result will be the same.

drgallifreystands.bsky.social•3 days ago

This is all chain of command stuff. It’s like being in the military – it takes a lot to get someone to disobey a direct order from further up in the chain of command. None of the folks in agencies or in their HR departments were ready for what was coming and none feel like they can act on their own.

mkfeeney.bsky.social•3 days ago

NSF Director wasn't even present when they hosted a hybrid meeting this morning to fire these 168 public servants. Giving their own colleagues 3 hrs notice to say their goodbyes and leave.

drgallifreystands.bsky.social•3 days ago

It’s completely brutal. And the brutality of the firings and the language used are coming directly from DOGE. Which is who - Elon? His 20 year old minions? No one knows - who is in charge and directing this? Absolutely unlawful procedure with no accountability

davidw38.bsky.social•3 days ago

Are any university presidents going to speak up?

donellgmab.bsky.social•3 days ago

#ArrestThem

cnic321.bsky.social•4 days ago

For those of us not in the US, please kindly spell out acronyms on first use. Thank you
.

palermog.bsky.social•3 days ago

Bean soup.

helen-amanda.bsky.social•4 days ago

National Science Foundation

cnic321.bsky.social•4 days ago

Thank you

larsvil.bsky.social•3 days ago

For those of us not in wherever NERC is, can you also spell that out?

helen-amanda.bsky.social•3 days ago

LOL! National Environment Research Council, in the UK.

helen-amanda.bsky.social•4 days ago

(Equivalent of NERC more or less)

captainfossil.bsky.social•3 days ago

📌

hapchem.bsky.social•4 days ago

how do you extend probationary periods without recourse?

ladylittlefoot.bsky.social•3 days ago

Apparently certain types of leave or absences can extend your probationary period. Ex. Extended unpaid leave, being activated for military service.

hapchem.bsky.social•3 days ago

It seems like a lot of people had their periods lengthened, though, more than would likely be subject to those issues.

kbgpolitics.bsky.social•4 days ago

Trump. Lifelong con man. Money launderer. Sex predator. Convicted of tax fraud and business fraud. Convicted of rape. Credibly accused of child molestation by more than one victim.

I cannot find a way to explain how broken this nation is.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/3/13501364/trump-rape-13-year-old-lawsuit-katie-johnson-allegation

biggirl1.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thank God for the UK and our employee protection.

tramadoc.bsky.social•3 days ago

Per federal guidelines, the only way probationary periods can be extended past one year is if the employee does not meet their marks on yearly eval which is done by direct supervisor. Only then can the probationary period be extended.

berniebeagle.bsky.social•3 days ago

First picture of DOGE working to find waste in government. Why is everyone concerned about giving them private information or deciding who should be fired? It’s too bad there aren’t adults who are willing to stop this destruction. I guess they’re waiting for the house to be set on fire.

lowinchen.bsky.social•3 days ago

We had several people in my agency completely surprised that Excepted employees have a two year probation period, versus the one year for Competitive employees. I wonder if this was the issue.

mdsteele47.bsky.social•3 days ago

Among those whose contracts were terminated was Kelvin Droegemeier, who was on an expert appointment. You may know this name as he was appointed the interim NSF director and as the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the first Trump administration.

afagen.bsky.social•3 days ago

Thanks for keeping on top of this.

n83z01qbui.bsky.social•3 days ago

@nick-carmody.bsky.social @boghuma.bsky.social @angierasmussen.bsky.social @erictopol.bsky.social

kridnix.bsky.social•3 days ago

Really sad for my NSF colleagues. I really enjoyed my time there, and it was a well-run organization with really dedicated experts.

ecologyelise.bsky.social•4 days ago

Do we know whether / how these firings affect NSF rotator positions?

laurenfuess.bsky.social•4 days ago

Also curious about this. I’m assuming the worst, but would love to be proven wrong

michael-dee.bsky.social•4 days ago

Jeez, does your country have ANY employee protections??

sasworkshops.bsky.social•3 days ago

Yes. We are very good at protecting companies from employees!

oliverlevine.bsky.social•4 days ago

We do, at least for federal employees; the people being fired right now were hired into some of the most stable/protected positions available to Americans. But right now we're speedrunning figuring out just how many laws go away if you ignore them hard enough.

ncweaver.skerry-tech.com•4 days ago

They do and there are a lot for civil service job. The administration is just ignoring them. <1 year you can be fired for poor performance with much less recourse, but it still isn't "at will".

daleghent.com•3 days ago

Some agencies have two year probationary periods. I know a person who was in the fed. service for 7 years and was reclassified last September as a part of her career development. The sad and angering irony is that she would still be employed if she hadn't reclassed and given more responsibilities.

ncweaver.skerry-tech.com•3 days ago

Worse, you aren't SUPPOSED to be fired even if you don't do well, you are just demoted back into your old position. This is blatantly illegal but they just don't care.

walterharris.bsky.social•3 days ago

If they can be ignored without consequences, then those 'protections' don't exist. When they make these firings stick, which they intend, even if they have to defy court orders to do it, they'll redefine everyone's position so that they can be fired at will. This is absolutely coming.

lbluth.bsky.social•3 days ago

We did until the Musk/Trump/Project 2025 wrecking ball destroyed agencies and fired people who would be doing exactly this. It's unprecedented.

sotonohito555.bsky.social•3 days ago

Until Trump the answer was:

No one except the ultra rich and Federal employees have employment protections.

Everyone else is "at will" meaning we can be fired at any time for any reason or none at all.

Now Trump is getting rid of Federal employment protections by illegally ignoring them.

drgallifreystands.bsky.social•3 days ago

We thought we did in the civil service but now it turns out, not if the White House decides that laws are optional.

michael-dee.bsky.social•3 days ago

I guess that’s one reason why Vance has such disdain for Europe. Good employment protection in most European countries. Especially here in France.

heykeriyawn.bsky.social•3 days ago

Yep. It sucks. They hate federal employees here because they have more worker protection than most in US. Trump is exploiting legal loopholes!

Also Trump/Vance/Elon are mad Europeans have done a better job protecting your elections, managing foreign interference & info threats, & being anti-Nazi.

kavavita.bsky.social•3 days ago

Protections are enforced by suing after the fact, unfortunately. Federal employees have more protections than nearly anyone else here.

sspencermo.bsky.social•3 days ago

no. Eat or be eaten -- it's the american way.

leonia1947.bsky.social•15 hours ago

I was a rotator back in the day. NSF folks are dedicated & hard working. I looked at grants the Ted Cruz goons identified for termination & found ~200 at the BNS program (funds Bioanthropology). Of those more than 1/4 were Dissertation Grants. There goes the lifeblood of the community.

lucastosborne.bsky.social•3 days ago

📌

rouhiroo.bsky.social•3 days ago

And the gutting continues. Hope ppl will continue to fight back by SIGNING/sharing this declaration against #censorship. It's for all irrsp of field, lang, expertise. #scienceforall #defendresearch #moretocome https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenHphuS0QIp1NPpyFNMJo4dd591UEOjHHyIGzNrVco90eYwQ/viewform?usp=sharing

ricecp.bsky.social•3 days ago

The MAGA & DOGE coup.

STAND UP!
WE'RE HERE FOR THE RUMBLE.
It's a time for fierce compassion. Be fierce, do an activity everyday. It's self care. Be the rain, the howling wind, and the mountainous wave. Be the storm. Be the broken record. Pass it on.

mrduplicity.bsky.social•3 days ago

Unfair

barbschnell.bsky.social•3 days ago

Dismantling the research workforce and higher ed was always part of their plan. Ripping out science in favor of blind loyalty is the agenda.

russellh777.bsky.social•3 days ago

I have yet to see one instance of fraud, waste, or abuse that they have found.

eileenfiona.bsky.social•3 days ago

And the stupidest thing about that is that it’s a human endeavor. Of course someone, somewhere is cheating. And you can’t even find that one person to falsely buoy your witch-hunt/purge?

ru12xu.bsky.social•3 days ago

I hear that repeated over and over again but haven’t seen a single factual example provided

kingbadger.bsky.social•3 days ago

They class funding these departments as waste. It was never about efficiency.

ckolson1.bsky.social•4 days ago

Ok, let's get this straight. They made them probationary employees by extending their stated probationary period last month so they could fire them this month without federal employee protections. They are miserable jerks destroying our nation.

owengwynne.bsky.social•3 days ago

I've heard, though have no way to confirm, that some staff who had recently been provisionally promoted (and thus technically probationary in their new higher roles) had been dismissed. I can't confirm this, but it has plausibility.

supersciencegrl.co.uk•3 days ago

I don't know the person directly (but noticed we have multiple connections in common, so likely real IMO), but I saw a person who fits exactly that bill on my LinkedIn feed this morning. I was surprised they were made to do another probation after many years in a different role.

tramadoc.bsky.social•3 days ago

Only if the promotion is from an advertised position opening for all US citizens. NORMALLY, a promotion within grade (such as GS 12 to GS 13) will not require a new probationary period unless specified in the job announcement.

ladylittlefoot.bsky.social•3 days ago

I can definitely see these cruel, cruel folks doing that.

ckolson1.bsky.social•3 days ago

Yes, probationary designation not just people with 1-2 years service with federal government. It includes recently promoted people & those that have transferred from other federal agencies. Plus it would also include highly skilled individuals woh were recruited for essential roles.

saltysgt.bsky.social•3 days ago

That also depends on HR stuff as well. I was promoted and did not have to serve a new probation period.
Usually the job announcement will specify if a probation period is required.

I am thankful in that aspect.

Also Other than normal hired typically have longer probation.

saltysgt.bsky.social•3 days ago

DEI hires such ad Veterans Appointments, Schedule A, and other special appointments almost always have longer probationary terms.

Mine was 2 years with a 3 year ban on moving outside my selected field. I could promote, I just couldn't change my Series.

ckolson1.bsky.social•3 days ago

I did oversimplify. There are different reasons for probationary periods & no one ever expected them to be used for nefarious purpose the Musk team is using. My only point was to clarify that it is not just a bunch of 'new' 'inexperienced' people they are eliminating without regard to skills/need.

the-mad-guesser.bsky.social•1 day ago

Actually, they'll fire the probationary janitors in federal buildings, so all public restrooms can be closed until pay toilets are installed, so human excrement is piling up in the stairwells until diapers for federal workers are supplied.

terrybbollinger.bsky.social•3 days ago

Much of the randomness of the cuts likely stems from the astonishingly naïve Musk group making heavy use of mindless — and thus necessarily sociopathic — large language model tools to amplify the range and depth of systems they can damage quickly. Wake up folks: This is not a US-led activity.

kuragari.bsky.social•4 days ago

Incompetent people make shit government.

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