The Solidarity Docket
Weekly Dispatch from Suzanne Summerlin, General Counsel
October 30, 2025
Dear Friends -
The shutdown grinds forward, testing the endurance of the federal workforce and the systems that depend on it. This week, the call from unions representing hundreds of thousands of public servants grew louder: it’s time to end the manufactured crisis and get people back to work.
Unions Demand a Clean Bill to Reopen Government
A coalition of major federal unions, including AFGE, NFFE, AFSCME, and NTEU, has urged Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government and guarantee back pay for all affected employees.
Union leaders emphasized that federal workers have fulfilled their duties through natural disasters, pandemics, and shutdowns alike and that they should not again be used as leverage in political negotiations. “Our members have done everything asked of them in service to the public,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. “It’s Congress’s turn to do its job.”
Virtual Town Hall for Federal Workers — Thursday, Oct. 30
Workers and families impacted by the shutdown or recent RIFs are invited to a Federal Workers Town Hall on Thursday, Oct. 30, 6 – 7:30 p.m. ET. Experts will share updates on pending litigation, back-pay rights, and what comes next for furloughed and excepted employees. This event is co-sponsored by Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong, the Partnership for Public Service, and the Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. It will be posted on our website, under Resources, if you are unable to attend.
New Case and Litigation Developments
Expanded Injunction on Shutdown RIFs — Judge Susan Illston’s preliminary injunction remains in force, and agencies have filed new compliance reports confirming that RIF activity has been suspended nationwide pending further review.
NWSEO v. Trump— The National Weather Service Employees Organization and Patent Office Professional Association moved for a preliminary injunction on Oct. 24 to block implementation of the August 28 executive order curtailing collective-bargaining rights.
AFSCME & AFGE v. Trump — Challenges the same executive order’s application to USAGM and VOA employees; oral argument set for Nov. 14.
AFGE v. Department of Education - Addresses shutdown-related partisan messaging in employee auto-replies; hearing on cross-motions for summary judgment scheduled for Nov. 4.
Case information and hearing schedules are updated weekly on our Litigation Tracker →
Expert Update: Upcoming FEHB Challenge
One of our expert partner firms, Correia & Puth, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, is preparing a class-wide legal challenge to the administration’s revocation of gender-affirming care coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The change takes effect in January 2026, and the team plans to act as soon as employees begin to lose coverage. If you or someone you know will be impacted by this change, inquiries can be directed to Kelsey Speyer (kspeyer@correiaputh.com).
In Solidarity
Every day this shutdown continues, federal workers prove the strength and stability of public service. The legal challenges underway and the unity shown by unions and advocates across the country are reminders that solidarity is not a slogan; it is a strategy for survival.
In solidarity,
Suzanne Summerlin
General Counsel, Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network
