Press Release  AG Campbell Stands With Federal Workers Against Coercive "Fork In The Road" Federal Buyout Challenge

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell Attorney General joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys moved to file an amicus brief in support of federal employees challenging the Trump Administration’s federal buyout plan, arguing that the plan is an attempt to force federal workers to choose between a legally fraught “buy-out” and potential termination.  

The brief supports a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by the plaintiffs—the American Federation of Government Employees; AFGE Local3707; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the National Association of Government Employees—against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s so-called “Fork in the Road” directive, issued on January 28, 2025.

“Federal workers dedicate their careers to serving the American people and they deserve stability and support – not political games,” said AG Campbell. “This directive puts livelihoods at risk. My counterparts and I stand with our federal workforce and will fight to ensure they receive the respect they have earned.”

The plaintiff unions filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, emphasizing that the directive and associated FAQs—which were revised multiple times—caused widespread confusion and dismay among federal employees, who were faced with an arbitrary deadline based on a directive that the plaintiff unions assert is illegal and contrary to federal ethics regulations. 

On February 6, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr., stayed the purported deadline of the “Fork directive” until Monday, February 10, 2025, with a hearing to be held at 2:00 p.m. that day in Boston.

The coalition argues that the indiscriminate loss of indispensable federal employees could have a devastating effect on cooperative aspects of federal, state, and local government—from those who care for veterans to those who arrive when natural disaster strikes. The brief also describes the coercive nature of the directive to our Nation’s public servants. The coalition urged the court to grant a temporary restraining order to prevent this harm to federal workers—our friends and neighbors—and to protect the public interest.

Joining AG Campbell on the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

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