r/FedEmployees • u/Consistent_Move_3029 • 2d ago
Department of Labor DRP 2.0 Friday Evening Email
On the same day Secretary Chavez-DeRemer is all over the media bragging about the positive jobs report, she sends this DRP 2.0 letter to her employees—with the response window starting at 7 p.m. on a Friday night when the email was sent.
Dear Colleagues, I am committed to proceeding with transparency as the Department of Labor continues carrying out President Trump's Executive Order, "Implementing the President's “Department of Government Efficiency Work Optimization Initiative," to right-size our workforce and ensure maximum effectiveness for the American people. To that end, below please find more information on the next phase of our workforce optimization initiative. As of today, the department will re-open the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) and Voluntary Earty Retirement Authority (VERA) options for eligible employees within the following agencies: • International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) • Women's Bureau • Office of Public Affairs (OPA) For Department of Labor employees outside of the four agencies listed above, additional information will be made available regarding your specific agencies in the coming weeks. The window for participating in these programs will open on April 4 and close on April 14, 2025. I want to emphasize for clarity that this is the next stage in the department's multi-step workforce optimization process. Additional announcements, including plans to implement Reductions in Force (RiFs), should be expected in the coming weeks. My goal is to provide as many options and as much information as possible to enable informed decision-making regarding your career and your future. Please be on the lookout for details from DOL Guidance and Information. For any questions regarding the DRP, please reach out to Deferred.Resignation.Program.Questions@dol.gov. We remain committed to navigating this period of change with respect and clarity. Thank you for your service to our nation. Lori Chavez-DeRemer Secretary U.S. Department of Labor
12
13
u/Standard-Cat-6383 2d ago
I find it interesting how these are all supposed to be written by individual agencies and yet they are almost word for word the same. Including the phrase right sized.
7
u/Humble-Grapefruit-64 2d ago
DOD as well.
5
u/beautnight 2d ago
That’s weird. I got mine two days ago. And it said “hey we’re opening the window next week”
8
u/Altruistic-Ad6449 1d ago
“I’m so committed to transparency I’m sending you this late Friday night, so you can’t reply. We want to help you get the hell outta here as quickly as possible, especially if you’re one of them DEIs.”
5
u/riverchief 1d ago
Especially since we have not heard word one from her since her let’s get to work email
8
u/Emergency_Photo_6340 2d ago
Did this email go out to all DOL or just those agencies? I didn’t get it
5
u/bellstar77 2d ago
I’m guessing just those agencies. Wouldn’t be surprised to receive something on Sunday though.
3
u/diab_soule137 1d ago
ETA has an all hands meeting with HR this coming Monday. I'm expecting them to offer early retirement. OWCP hasn't received any information.
1
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 20h ago
OWCP may not get cut. Each Claims Examiner already has over 600 claimants assigned to them and management tells us every year how we are overworked and understaffed. Some Claims Examiners already took the DRP which dropped our numbers even more. From what I read, OWCP employees work under a statute dealing with an "Essential" mission which is key. A statute can only be changed by an Act of Congress. I also read under Project 2025 that those jobs where you are deemed Essential during a furlough and continue working during a furlough won't get touched. And I've been through furloughs where we get deemed Essentail and we have to work to make sure the claimants get their compensation and benefits.
1
u/diab_soule137 16h ago
I understand what you’re saying. I’m considered essential too even though I was fired when the probies were and brought back. I’ve heard OWCP is liked by the new secretary but I don’t trust anything occurring particularly by how things have changed for the worse in my own department
1
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 15h ago
I'm sorry. I don't want to see anyone lose their job. I don't trust OWCP to do a RIF the correct way....I see them keeping Supervisors with less time over Claims Examiners. That's why I have a Federal Labor Attorney in DC ready to go who helped an old work colleague years ago at OWCP. If God forbid I get Riffed, then I'll have my Attorney subpoena the DOL OWCP to get the entire list of names who stayed and who were let go. That's the only way you'll get each individuals name otherwise they would never give that information. I have worked way too long for the Federal government with excellent evaluations, awards, QSIs to be bamboozled by them. The right way to do any RIF is: 1) Military stay and have preference 2) Then it goes by strictly by seniority- tears of service (this is where I don't trust OWCP) 3) Your last 3 years of evaluations 4) Who has disabilities I strongly advise everyone to have a Federal Labor Attorney!! Fight for your job!! Fight for rights!! This is the only way you would be able to tell if any RIF was completed correctly and not by who is friends with who. Attorney up everyone!! A grievance won't cut it and holds no teeth....Have an Attorney file an EEO and/or Wrongful Termination.
1
u/diab_soule137 14h ago
Oh, I agree. Unfortunately, our supervisors aren't kept in the loop and we're expected to continue business as usual with all of these descriptions while we have had our internal timelines moved to impossible to meet dates.
1
6
u/Greekgirl8 2d ago
Ugh, my agency isn’t on this list! But sounds like VERA is coming to us other agencies after the 14th? Is that how everyone else is reading this?
2
u/diab_soule137 1d ago
That's my read on it as well. Early retirement will be offered to other units and then RIF's will begin. I'm assuming RIFs will start with ILAB, Women's Bureau, OFCCP, and OPA first but who knows.
2
u/SafetyMan35 1d ago
Be thankful. In looking at DOL agencies to try to guess which ones they would cut/close, every one of these was on my list because they don’t support the administration’s agenda.
2
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 20h ago
OWCP may not get cut. If they do, then the 35 New Trainee Claims Examiners will be let go along with probationary and the GS 7 Claims Assistants. The Journeyman Claims Examiners ho have done the job for so long themselves are way too valuable to lose them. With being understaffed already and overworked with 600 claimants already assigned to each of us, claimants would not get the services needed of we lose any more people. We have a lot of newer Supevisors that have less time in than the Claims Examiners. We have way too many Superviors who don't even do the job they just check your cases to make sure they are correct. They can make cuts with Suoervisors, but the actual bread and butter of the OWCP organization is the Clains Examiners....we do all of the work.
1
u/SafetyMan35 19h ago
OWCP is not one of the 4 listed here that are being offered DRP.
OWCP seems like an office that could be downsized with AI automation (in the eyes of DOGE).
2
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 18h ago
Unless you work for OWCP as a Claims Examiner, you wouldn't know exactly what we do. We have to read factual evidence from witness statements, the employing agency's, attorneys offices, medical documentation in order to accept or deny federal workers compensation claims. AI can't do that. In addition, we do various types of payments, handle life insurance and health insurance premium issues, recurrences, remand cases, indexing electronic mail from claimants, medical authorization threads, and the volume of physical phone calls from claimants everyday is demanding. We are a jack of all trades and is why management ststes every year that we are overworked and understaffed. AI isn't an answer to every job. Ai can't do every job. If we lost any more Claims Examiners there's no way anyone could do this type of work. Thus job isn't for everyone, we have a revolving door because of the workload. Because our workload is so much, OWCP did take away some functions and gave them to Claims Assistants, created MTA positions and Medical Benefits Examiners positions. OWCP also had a separate unit for COViD 19 cases which could easily be ended because we are past that. They did hire 35 New Claims Examiner Trainees over the past 2 years so I would think they would be Riffed first. We also had Claims Examiners take the buyout offer. Too many Supervisors which could be Riffed. Other than that, we can't afford to lose any more Claims Examiners. OWCP is under a statute. It takes an Act of Congress to end it not DOGE. Under Project 2025 any federal job deemed Essential and who normally works in furloughs are not being cut. We work through furloughs and always are deemed Essential.
2
1
u/SafetyMan35 18h ago
Everyone thinks their job is important and they are irreplaceable and their job can’t be automated. It can. The work I do is similar to what you describe and we have casually played around with AI just to see how effective it was. The customer applications we put into the system with minimal training of the AI software were about 80% accurate. Not perfect, certainly not ready for production work, but we spent 5 minutes training the AI what to look for.
Again, OWCP is currently not on the list of agencies that received an offer for DRP 2.0, so, while I know it’s hard, try not to worry about it. You have said you are classified as essential which works in your favor based on what the administration has stated. Try not to get stressed about the unknown. That’s what they want. Identify your exit strategy if it comes to that and start dusting off the resume (something I haven’t done for 19 years). Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
As for the workload, they don’t care if they break government because that fits their narrative that the government is ineffective (after we cut off its legs and tied one hand behind its back.
1
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 15h ago
I'm not planning planning an exit strategy. I have a Federal Labor Attirney in DC who will file an EEO and/or Wrongful Twrmination lawsuit. I have worked too long and hard woth excellent evaluations, awards, QSIs and so on to be bamboozled by them. Trust me I don't trust OWCP....I can see them not doing a RIF the correct way....I can see them keeping their Supervisor buddies who have less time than Claims Examiners or other employees. And the only way to find out is if an Attorney subpoenas them for the list of who got Riffed and who stayed otherwise the won't give an employee that information. I have 20 years in. I recommend people Attorney Up and fight for their jobs. I pray for everyone.
1
0
u/Greekgirl8 1d ago
I won’t feel thankful until they finally offer a VERA
2
u/Acceptable_Cause3146 15h ago
I think a VERA will prevent a lot of people from be Riffed. A lot of OWCP people already took the Fork in the Road.
9
u/Dependent-Pen-8174 1d ago
You had me all excited. I’m in a different agency at DOL and we didn’t even get the email.
5
u/Greekgirl8 1d ago
Sounds like us other agencies within DOL will be hearing something similar after the 14th. I just want a VERA.
4
u/Interesting_Tune2905 1d ago
“Workforce optimization” - corp-speak for ‘slash, burn and sell off the remnants.’
3
u/MaritimeDisaster 2d ago
We were expecting to get it today at DHS, didn’t arrive. Some of the Components were told they would get it next week though.
3
u/Snoo70033 2d ago
The words on the street is Sunday evening.
2
u/MaritimeDisaster 1d ago
Well, why fuck up the weekend?
2
1
3
u/CalligrapherAble6726 1d ago
My agency isn't on the list and I didn't get the email yet either.
But this does provide some real hope that at the very least - VERA IS COMING 🤞🙏
2
u/Greekgirl8 1d ago
Come on DOL!! Offer us other agencies a VERA!! 🙏🏼.. My only dilemma is if DRP is optional with VERA, do I take it or just opt for a stand-alone VERA? Just hesitant to “resign” and lose rights before I know for sure VERA will indeed be granted.
2
u/CalligrapherAble6726 1d ago
If VERA is offered without DRP - I plan to take that. If it's tied with taking the DRP - as much as I dislike having to do it that way - then I will take DRP to get to VERA.
My agency is already fractured staffing wise so I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they do not offer DRP. But offering VERA would be the very decent move considering that a RIF is still likely coming.
I don't want to be that high seniority, compensable disabled Veteran left standing in the way of any other employees who could take my position if I weren't around to bump them!
3
u/Greekgirl8 1d ago
I agree. If my agency only offers VERA with DRP, I will take it. If stand-alone, I will take it without DRP.
1
u/lvpre 1d ago
At least I know where to direct my questions: Deferred.Resignation.Program.Questions@dol.gov
This entire administration is a joke!
Lori was supposed to be pro-union too! And she hires the person for the OFCCP who defended SpaceX allowing them to create an environment of workplace discrimination.
They are committed to respect.... As long as DEI isn't involved.... Thanks, new DOL!
1
1
33
u/Goodd2shoo 2d ago
They sure know how to ruin a weekend.