American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing 750,000 federal employees, told members Wednesday to not resign via an email sent to them by the US Office of Personnel Management. The email sent on Tuesday prompted employees to resign from service by accepting a “deferred resignation” offer in which they would be exempted from return-to-office requirements instituted under Donald Trump’s new administration.
“There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised,” the union says in its notice to members, a copy of which was obtained by noti.group. “We are encouraging AFGE members NOT to resign or respond to this email until you have received further information and clarification.”
The union’s email also includes frequently asked questions about the offer, which has caused panic and confusion among the federal workforce. For one, there have been inconsistencies between the email and other memos circulating, like whether employees would be required to work during the time they resign and September 30th. The FAQ section also warns union members that the deferred resignation benefits are vague and questions whether OPM even has the legal authority to offer the purported benefits.
“Employees should not take the Program at face value,” a section of the FAQ reads.
Separately, AFGE and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced they were suing the Trump administration over its efforts to make it easier to fire civil servants.
The OPM email, which was later published on the office’s website, is similar in some ways to communication Twitter employees received from Elon Musk after he bought the platform in 2022. The OPM notice includes the subject line “Fork in the Road” — the same subject line Musk used in an email to Twitter staff pressuring them to commit to his vision for the company or quit. This week Wired reported that OPM, which is essentially the federal government’s HR division, had been taken over by individuals linked to Musk’s various businesses. In another move straight out of the Twitter takeover playbook, Musk is reportedly sleeping at the offices of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the renamed agency that the Trump ally is now in charge of.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
