IFPTE Commits to Halting Schedule P/C
Administration rule aims to undermine our merit-based, nonpartisan civil service and government for the people
WASHINGTON, DC – The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a labor union representing upwards of 34,000 federal employees as well as tens of thousands of employees in the private sector and state and local government, issued the following statement in response to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issuance of the Schedule Policy/Career (Schedule P/C) final rule.
IFPTE President Matthew Biggs:
“Make no mistake, Schedule P/C is an attack on the fundamental principle that our government serves the American public. The Schedule P/C final rule allows this Administration to move tens of thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of highly qualified, career nonpartisan civil service employees into partisan appointees who can be fired without cause, without the right to appeal, and with limited whistleblower protections. This jeopardizes the stability and effectiveness of the federal agencies the public depends on every day and undermines the data and evidence-based missions that federal employees perform. It would also undermine Congress’s ability to perform meaningful oversight by silencing the expertise of federal employees. IFPTE is committed to opposing its implementation in federal court and advocating for the enactment of the Saving the Civil Service Act.”IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson:
“Federal employees across the country, including IFPTE members, enter public service not to carry out partisan agendas, but to serve the nation, uphold the law, and work on behalf of America’s taxpayers. A qualified, professional, and nonpartisan civil service is essential to accountable democratic governance and to ensure that federal agencies serve the public interest—not political whims. This rule threatens to strip workers of longstanding protections and collective bargaining rights that safeguard independence, integrity, and effectiveness in government. IFPTE urges Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to oppose this misguided proposal and defend the merit-based civil service.”
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Candace Rhett
202-239-4880