Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is calling for the reinstatement of employees fired from a U.S. Department of Agriculture research facility in Peoria.
The Senate Minority Whip from Illinois appeared Friday in Peoria in front of the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research [NCAUR], commonly known as the Ag Lab. More than a dozen probationary employees were fired from the Ag Lab two weeks ago, as part of ongoing efforts Trump Administration officials say are increasing government efficiency.
“I’m standing behind the workers in this building,” said Durbin from the sidewalk of the Ag Lab, flanked by workers who had been let go and a union representative. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that they are treated fairly. I want to make certain that we have a plan that makes sense. Let’s get rid of waste, but let’s not squander the talent that makes a difference.”
Durbin was joined by Jeannie Klein-Gordon, a research plant pathologist who had lost her job at the lab after more than a decade of specialized education to qualify for the position.
“She just received the termination notice in the middle of February. What bothers me as well is the termination notice raised questions about her performance,” said Durbin. “There’s been no question about her performance at the lab. She’s one of the best.”
Since the terminations, an independent federal board has ordered a 45-day stay, instructing the USDA to reinstate almost 6,000 employees while the Merit Systems’ Protection Board [MSPB] investigates the layoffs. The MSPB is essentially an internal court for federal employees.
Ethan Roberts is the union president of the Local 3247 American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 80 staff members at the Peoria Ag Lab. He says no one has returned to work yet, but lab management is exploring next steps.
Roberts says the MSPB will make a final, more permanent ruling on the cases within the 45 days.
“Publicly funded research is typically very high-risk research. It takes a long time and a lot of money that private businesses typically are not willing to engage in, or academic research does not have time to engage in,” said Roberts during Friday's news conference. “We are able to make discoveries and engage in research that otherwise would not have been explored or funded.”
Klein-Gordon also used her time at the podium to stress the value of the work performed at the Ag Lab.
“For example, take the Irish Potato Famine. Over one million people died because they relied on potatoes as their main food source and their potatoes were destroyed by a plant disease,” she said. “Every day diseases reduce substantial yields or kill entire fields around the U.S. and worldwide. Plant readers and plant pathologists like me work to prevent that from happening again.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali also spoke in support of the Ag Lab employees, recalling her own first visit to the facility at the age of 14.
“I so admired and so understood the importance of the work that goes on here,” she said. “This is one of, as [Durbin] said, the flagship agricultural laboratories in the country and the workers here, the researchers here are some of the best in the world.”
Durbin says he isn’t certain whether the stay issued by the MSPB will eventually become a permanent return for some government employees.
“I can tell you that even probationary employees, like Miss Klein-Gordon, have rights under the law. AFG is asserting those rights and others are as well,” he said. “I just hope, when it’s all over, that they will be retained in their jobs.”
