More than 1,100 EPA Employees Warned of Immediate Termination

“It’s bad. I’ve been with the agency for over 33 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Marie Owens-Powell, president of the union that represents more than 8,500 EPA employees.

Marie Owens-Powell, president of the union that represents more than 8,500 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, did not mince words during a Friday call about morale among its members: “It’s bad. I’ve been with the agency for over 33 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Starting Wednesday morning, more than 1,100 employees at the EPA received an email, which has been viewed by CBS News, warning they could be immediately fired because of their probationary status as an employee with less than a year in their current role.

“As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you pursuant to 5 CFR § 315.804,” read the email, which was sent to employees by Kimberly Patrick, principal deputy assistant administrator for mission support of the EPA.

According to Owens-Powell, employees with a range of experience received the emails — some with less than a year at the EPA, as well as tenured employees who recently moved into new positions inside the agency.

Source: More than 1,100 EPA employees warned of immediate termination