May 27, 2026
Media contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, dorie.turner@gmail.com, 404-861-1127
The union for U.S. Education Department employees, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, filed a notice of arbitration in a case where agency leaders are unlawfully disciplining an employee who is blind for speaking with the news media and a member of Congress.
Christine Grassman, who works in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, spoke publicly in her personal capacity after the agency unlawfully tried to fire her and nearly 500 of her colleagues during the historic government shutdown last fall. The reduction-in-force notices for Grassman and her colleagues were eventually paused by the courts and then halted by Congress.
“Since January 2025, hardworking public servants at the U.S. Department of Education like Christine Grassman have been subjected to threats, harassment and sustained demoralization. Christine is a dedicated public servant who spoke about her personal experience being unlawfully fired by the Education Department,” said AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman. “This is another example of this administration’s war on civil servants who exercise their First Amendment rights to speak up against unlawful actions.”
The Agency continues to threaten employees who speak publicly about working conditions and other issues. These disciplinary tactics related to employee speech have led to workers being fired in other federal agencies. This week, the Office of Personnel Management proposed a government-wide nondisclosure agreement for all federal employees that would bar them from speaking publicly about most of their work.
The union has filed a grievance about Grassman being disciplined, but the agency has denied the grievance. The next step in the process is arbitration, which involves a third-party arbitrator evaluating the union’s claims that the Department has acted unlawfully.
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AFGE Local 252 