August 2017 Federal Employment Law Training Group Newsletter

A Final Annual Anniversary?

It all started with a dirty toilet. In the early part of the last century, when a postal worker complained to his Congressman about the unsanitary conditions in the restrooms at a post office building where he worked, the President took offense at the “leaker” and fired him. Under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Taft, it was common for civil servants who leaked information to be fired. Federal employment back in the day was at-will, requiring neither good cause nor ANY cause to fire a federal worker. Well, Congress decided it didn’t like that. Under the leadership of Republican Senator Bob La Follette, the Lloyd-La Follette Act became law on August 24, 1912. Here at FELTG, we celebrate that anniversary every year about this time because a) this is the law that created the standard for removing a civil servant to be the “efficiency of the service,” and b) we will celebrate darned near anything if a party is involved. Unfortunately, this year may be our last party. Congress has been very active recently, creating legislation to reduce civil servant protections. Last month, we saw a bill introduced that, if enacted as law, would take us back to before 1912 and make civil service employment at-will. Perhaps foolishly, here at FELTG we fight against that outcome, arguing that the existing system works just fine for holding civil servants accountable while treating them fairly IF you know what you’re doing. Until the day they pry our cold dead fingers from around the Lloyd-La Follette Act, we will be here teaching the law of the civil service. Come join the party before it’s too late.