Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 16:07     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand problem. My mom in early 1990s worked American Express in NY. They relocated her entire division to Tampa Florida.

She had choice to go, take a package and unemployment eligible.

My job ended in NY in 2016. My new job was in DMV. I had choice move DMV or have no job.

My father in law his last company moved to AZ. He left.

Bottom line either move or stay. This is life



People are allowed to have feelings about job disruptions.

Sorry you have no empathy.


+1. Obviously it’s fine to be bummed about losing a job and changing your life plans.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 16:06     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand problem. My mom in early 1990s worked American Express in NY. They relocated her entire division to Tampa Florida.

She had choice to go, take a package and unemployment eligible.

My job ended in NY in 2016. My new job was in DMV. I had choice move DMV or have no job.

My father in law his last company moved to AZ. He left.

Bottom line either move or stay. This is life



They’re delicate federal employees who have never faced any serious hardships in life.


Do you enjoy being manipulated into hating regular people?
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 13:34     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
In the agency I left, there is now no one in between the political appointee and individual contributors except for one "acting" person. The relocation threats are part of why. Even people who didn't have to relocate were tired of losing their teams. All of that capacity is now wiped out and the political is clueless as to why the things he wants to make happen are not happening. Some version of this is happening all over the government.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 13:24     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand problem. My mom in early 1990s worked American Express in NY. They relocated her entire division to Tampa Florida.

She had choice to go, take a package and unemployment eligible.

My job ended in NY in 2016. My new job was in DMV. I had choice move DMV or have no job.

My father in law his last company moved to AZ. He left.

Bottom line either move or stay. This is life



They’re delicate federal employees who have never faced any serious hardships in life.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 12:57     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand problem. My mom in early 1990s worked American Express in NY. They relocated her entire division to Tampa Florida.

She had choice to go, take a package and unemployment eligible.

My job ended in NY in 2016. My new job was in DMV. I had choice move DMV or have no job.

My father in law his last company moved to AZ. He left.

Bottom line either move or stay. This is life



People are allowed to have feelings about job disruptions.

Sorry you have no empathy.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 11:53     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
I don’t understand problem. My mom in early 1990s worked American Express in NY. They relocated her entire division to Tampa Florida.

She had choice to go, take a package and unemployment eligible.

My job ended in NY in 2016. My new job was in DMV. I had choice move DMV or have no job.

My father in law his last company moved to AZ. He left.

Bottom line either move or stay. This is life

Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 11:43     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Relocation package. lol.

For most feds, “negotiating a relocation package” has never been a thing.


Uh, you get a relocation package when you are forced to move to an office more than 50 miles away - this isn't at all the same as where you voluntarily apply for a new job across the country and move without a relocation package. You might have to bring it up in order to get it which is what I think the PP meant by "negotiating" since it's pretty obvious in this new environment that your agency isn't just going to come out and say you are entitled to something. If they refuse to pay and you lose your job (that you were going to lose anyway) then you have a stronger case to appeal it while you still get severance.


My point is that you don’t go in and negotiate it. You don’t have any power. You might be entitled to x, y, and z with the move. That’s not negotiating. The fed gov has moved us three times. It moves people all over the place all the time.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 10:02     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:Relocation package. lol.

For most feds, “negotiating a relocation package” has never been a thing.


Uh, you get a relocation package when you are forced to move to an office more than 50 miles away - this isn't at all the same as where you voluntarily apply for a new job across the country and move without a relocation package. You might have to bring it up in order to get it which is what I think the PP meant by "negotiating" since it's pretty obvious in this new environment that your agency isn't just going to come out and say you are entitled to something. If they refuse to pay and you lose your job (that you were going to lose anyway) then you have a stronger case to appeal it while you still get severance.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:59     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Many/most feds are in dual income families and moving for one USDA job doesn’t make sense for both career paths. If a person is in a position to follow the job (and close to retirement and less worried about future job options), that’s probably one of the best scenarios to take the offer. I’d still prefer to find something else and be looking hard. But I know options are currently slim.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:31     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
I would consider both Raleigh and Ft Collins to be good options. But I get that OP and others didn’t have this on their bingo cards a year ago. It’s tough.

We relocated to the field a couple years ago with DH’s fed job. Previous to that, we had taken an overseas posting. Luckily I have been able to keep good jobs through all that. And all moves have been good ones. The main difference here is that the moves were our choice and not forced on us.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:27     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Relocation package. lol.

For most feds, “negotiating a relocation package” has never been a thing.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:25     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am completely okay relocating in normal times, but I would not relocate now. These aren't real "relocations". They are just saying you need to relocate so that you quit. They don't actually want you anymore. So you could make the $$$ decision to have your spouse quit their job, sell your house, relocate and then you're still RIFed.


This is why OP should negotiate a relocation package. If this is just a bluff then the agency will ultimately decline to move OP. Also, you can use the relocation expenses for temporary housing until you can find a rental. You could wait to sell your house until you get a better feeling about RIF chances.


WTF? Negotiate a relocation package? They want people to resign. What aren’t you understanding here?
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:22     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:VA and NC have a tax treaty. Someone living in VA but working in NC will not be double-taxed.

Raleigh has good schools, good housing options at lower cost than much of NoVA, and no river crossings to complicate the commute. NC also has multiple good in state public university options. What is not to like?

IBM and other private companies move people around the US all the time. The Federal Government is the oddity by not regularly moving its civil service workforce.


It’s not like the employees get to choose which location they go to. If their unit is being moved to Kansas City, that’s where they go.

I can potentially understand the logic of moving to lower cost areas if was purely for mission related reasons. However everyone knows this is just to drop scientists and weaken the agency.


Raleigh is part of the science triangle, so I don’t get how this move would drop scientists.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:15     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:Military families get moved all the time. Their kids turn out fine - usually more resilient than other kids. The kids who move will be fine with a mid-year move, will make new friends, and will adjust to any different school routines.

I do not get all the angst about this. Ft Collins or Raleigh would be a great place to live and raise a family.


Military families agree to this when they sign up. It’s also a completely different world where they have resources for moving and finding housing and getting established in a new place. They also generally aren’t going to get fired right after moving.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2025 09:11     Subject: Feel depressed about the USDA relocation
Anonymous wrote:Military families get moved all the time. Their kids turn out fine - usually more resilient than other kids. The kids who move will be fine with a mid-year move, will make new friends, and will adjust to any different school routines.

I do not get all the angst about this. Ft Collins or Raleigh would be a great place to live and raise a family.


Maybe but the federal government worker isn’t in the military. Many like the former stability of the government combined with the ability to help their fellow citizens. That type of person thrives in government work. It may not make sense to you but I’m grateful for them.