STMT: AFGE Council 238 Responds to Proposed Schedule F Rule

In October 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order that created a new “Schedule F” in the civil service but did not have a chance to complete implementation before he was voted out of office. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed a new rule designed to prevent future administrations from implementing any future version of Schedule F by promoting civil service protections. The rule would clarify and reinforce statutory protections for career civil servants and is written to advance the importance of nonpartisan public service.

Marie Owens Powell, President of AFGE 238, the largest EPA union representing more than 8,000 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, issued the following statement:

“Building and supporting a strong federal workforce is necessary for the survival of our country. Workers who have dedicated their lives to civil service in the name of protecting the public good should be respected and valued. 

We are glad to see the Biden administration is taking action to safeguard our merit-based hiring system, which is crucial to building and maintaining the skilled, diverse workforce we need at the EPA. This rule will protect the critical work done by federal employee experts, and inhibit any polarization of the federal workforce. Our work at the EPA is focused on protecting human health and the environment, and we applaud the steps the Biden administration is taking to prioritize our staff as we are tasked with helping to achieve the president’s important climate goals.”