Getting paid not to work: Federal probationary workers are being reinstated but put on paid leave

Days after a Maryland federal judge ruled that terminated probationary workers must be temporarily reinstated, multiple federal agencies have told their staffers that they are complying with the decision – but placing the employees on paid administrative leave.

Days after a Maryland federal judge ruled that terminated probationary workers must be temporarily reinstated, multiple federal agencies have told their staffers that they are complying with the decision – but placing the employees on paid administrative leave. Workers at the Internal Revenue Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Food and Drug Administration, among other agencies, received emails that said they are being reinstated and placed on administrative leave – essentially being paid not to work. Separately, at least one US Department of Agriculture probationary employee who was terminated received notice late last week that they would be reinstated and placed on paid administrative leave initially. The agency told staffers it is developing a phased plan to return them to duty. This action stems from an earlier order by the Merit Systems Protection Board, which said that nearly 6,000 probationary workers who lost their jobs in mid-February had to be reinstated for at least 45 days. At the Federal Aviation Administration, workers were informed that they would be put on administrative leave through Wednesday and their supervisors would reach out about resuming their duties. They will receive back pay, and the termination will be removed from the personnel record. “They will be able to get back to their important work on behalf of the American flying public,” David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, which represents FAA employees, said in a statement. CNN has viewed the emails from multiple agencies.