October 28, 2025
Media contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, dorie.turner@gmail.com, 404-861-1127
Today, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, which represents more than 2,700 U.S. Department of Education employees, applauded a federal judge’s ruling ordering the Trump administration to further stop the mass firings of federal employees during the government shutdown. The ruling comes following a motion for a Preliminary Injunction (PI) requested by the AFGE and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman released the following statement:
“This court decision reaffirms what we already know – these latest illegal mass firings at the U.S. Department of Education, in combination with the firings in March that cut 1,500 staff, are an illegal dismantling of a Congressionally created agency that provides critical resources and support services to tens of millions of students and their families across America. Today’s ruling is not only a win for our members, but it is also a win for the students, families, and communities in this country that would have been catastrophically impacted by these staffing cuts. Federal workers and the programs and services we provide should be more than a bargaining chip in the Congressional fights over the government shutdown. If we’ve learned anything this year, it’s that the fight is just beginning. We will continue to do everything in our power to fight back against the continued illegal gutting of the U.S. Department of Education.”
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AFGE Local 252 