Saw the Trump comment re: telework and dismissal, any words of sane advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not worried. At all. It will be business as usual in my component. We’re fee funded, not appropriated, here at the USPTO. And our telework program is older than God with statutory TEAP provisions (long distance telework).

Doesn’t the PTO hire examiners who work from home from all over the country? How would RTO even begin to look in this case?

Yes we at PTO are spread out all over the country. We have offices in Alexandria, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, and Silicon Valley that would fit maybe 5% of us. We work on “production”—very quantified output, so everyone can tell when someone is not producing at pace. I expect that we would be among the last feds the DOGE will care about. But who knows!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not worried. At all. It will be business as usual in my component. We’re fee funded, not appropriated, here at the USPTO. And our telework program is older than God with statutory TEAP provisions (long distance telework).

Doesn’t the PTO hire examiners who work from home from all over the country? How would RTO even begin to look in this case?

Your appointee gives you 60 days to report to the Alexandria office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not worried. At all. It will be business as usual in my component. We’re fee funded, not appropriated, here at the USPTO. And our telework program is older than God with statutory TEAP provisions (long distance telework).

Doesn’t the PTO hire examiners who work from home from all over the country? How would RTO even begin to look in this case?

Your appointee gives you 60 days to report to the Alexandria office.

Only in your MAGA fever dreams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not worried. At all. It will be business as usual in my component. We’re fee funded, not appropriated, here at the USPTO. And our telework program is older than God with statutory TEAP provisions (long distance telework).

Doesn’t the PTO hire examiners who work from home from all over the country? How would RTO even begin to look in this case?

All 50 states and Puerto Rico.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do we think about employees who have an annual remote work agreement 50+ miles away in a position originally classified as a dc office? DH is at DHS, and he was told a month ago it was likely he'd have to come back. Maybe they'll allow remote workers to finish out their year? Probably no relocation in this situation, right?

Not sure how relocation works if your remote job depends on a remote agreement. Those are renewed yearly so I'm assuming his job location would revert back to the original office if the agreement isn't renewed. He could check his SF50 to see if it says anything about his remote status. People hired into remote are hired directly into their home office and their position was advertised as location negotiable so I think there is a distinction.

I’m in the same position as OP’s husband. I have a remote agreement in place until December of next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not worried. At all. It will be business as usual in my component. We’re fee funded, not appropriated, here at the USPTO. And our telework program is older than God with statutory TEAP provisions (long distance telework).

Doesn’t the PTO hire examiners who work from home from all over the country? How would RTO even begin to look in this case?

Your appointee gives you 60 days to report to the Alexandria office.

I’m privy to the short list. Our appointee will be a normal not a MAGA.

[Anonymous]

I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

So what agencies are at the top of your target list?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

lol. Who appointed you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

lol. Who appointed you?

My lover, Vivek!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

So what agencies are at the top of your target list?

We are targeting EPA, FBI, HHS, Commerce, USAID, State Department, SSA and now PTO! I already drafted a memo that furloughs 65 percent of the workforce from each of those agencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Trump was talking about a union contract for SSA workers. I imagine that just breaking a union contract is going to result in some sort of lawsuit. Details of who decides what have been discussed in many threads here. At any rate, it’s going to be slow and not some sort of instantaneous thing Trump can do to those SSA employees overnight.

Easy to break given revelations about Biden's condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

So what agencies are at the top of your target list?

We are targeting EPA, FBI, HHS, Commerce, USAID, State Department, SSA and now PTO! I already drafted a memo that furloughs 65 percent of the workforce from each of those agencies.

So you are furloughing 74% of PTO, since it’s already part of commerce?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was appointed to DOGE. Glad I’m reading this message board. PTO will not be at the top of our target list!

So what agencies are at the top of your target list?

We are targeting EPA, FBI, HHS, Commerce, USAID, State Department, SSA and now PTO! I already drafted a memo that furloughs 65 percent of the workforce from each of those agencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Trump was talking about a union contract for SSA workers. I imagine that just breaking a union contract is going to result in some sort of lawsuit. Details of who decides what have been discussed in many threads here. At any rate, it’s going to be slow and not some sort of instantaneous thing Trump can do to those SSA employees overnight.

If you're not a member of the union that is covered by the union contract, then you shouldn't be affected by a lawsuit for breach of the collective bargaining agreement (the union contract). I would guess the CBA has a section on managerial rights and the ability to make adjustments for efficient governmental operations and that this will be one of their defenses.