Hundreds of government workers and their allies held a rally on Feb. 11 on the northside of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The focus of the rally was to protest the forced buyout of thousands of federal workers directed by Donald Trump’s executive order following his second inauguration on Jan. 20. According to CNN, thousands of probationary federal workers have had their jobs terminated as of February 13.
Washington DC, Feb. 11, 2025. (Photo: Kermit Leibensperger)
These workers, many of them members of the American Federation of Government Employees, are employed by various governmental agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Department of Justice, Transportation Security Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Education and more. AFGE represents 800,000 workers in Washington, D.C., and around the country, according to its website. (afge.org)
Kendrick Roberson, AFGE’s national Vice President for Women and Fair Practices, fired up the crowd with a message of fight back against this attack on government workers. Brooklyn Congressional Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, spoke in solidarity with the workers.
Other unions represented at the rally included the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Communication Workers of America; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and United Food and Commercial Workers.
Monica Moorehead contributed to this report.