Pearl River      A brief note emailed to two-million federal workers suggested that they must decide within a few days whether to take a buyout offer that would pay them through September and resign, or, essentially, take their chances about whether in the new regime their job and their ability to remain employed would survive.  Predictably, the unions that represent federal employees like the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Union Employees have channelled Nancy Reagan and emphatically recommended that the workers “just say no!”

What do financial experts say when they look at the memo and are asked to make a recommendation to federal workers?  Michelle Singletary writing a column for The Washington Post, which is close to being a neighborhood newspaper for such workers who are amassed in communities all around the Capitol, looked closely at the offer and came back somewhat horrified.   Here’s a summary and some takeaways on her advice:

• People are being rushed: “People are not being given enough time to consider all the financial and emotional consequences of resigning. Even if you’re near retirement, don’t be shoved into leaving earlier than you can afford to based on fear.”
• You don’t have a guarantee that you can rescind your resignation: In the FAQ portion of the Office of Personnel Management’s email, they say: “As noted in the deferred resignation letter, it is the objective of the program to move quickly to consolidate and/or reassign roles and in many cases place employees on administrative leave which would likely serve as a valid reason to deny recission requests.”  In other words, forget about it, sucker!
• It’s too easy to resign: Workers were asked to simply hit “reply” and “send,” and it was done, just like one of the scammer emails that flood your in-box.  As the columnist says:  “The human resources department for each agency should have been given the opportunity to make first contact. There should be a process that is clearly spelled out before anyone is required to submit a resignation email.
• You don’t have a guarantee that you will be paid: This is a big one!  “It doesn’t explicitly state or cite any law or rule that will allow you to stay on administrative leave and still be paid until Sept. 30.  A continuing resolution currently funds the federal government until March 14.  Resign, and it’s possible the funds to pay you while you chill at home might not end up in the budget.  If lawsuits emerge challenging this process and they prove successful, you may be unable to hold onto your job if you’ve already “voluntarily” resigned.”
• You are being bamboozled: “The OPM FAQ added, “Except in rare cases determined by your agency, you are not expected to work.” Nothing is quite guaranteed.  Will the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk, who was tapped to head the “Department of Government Efficiency,” live up to the promise to pay people not to work.”  Come on, man!
• You’re being threatened: “The purpose of this offer is to intimidate you into resigning. ‘At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions,’ the email says. “Stay and you could be fired is a thuggish threat.”

If federal workers buy these vague and empty promises or think there are millions of jobs with decent wages and benefit that also offer the opportunity to serve the American people, rather than just flipping burgers or stocking shelves, then they should look out the window at the line of hustlers and grifters looking to sell them a bunch of other worthless trinkets.