“Our understanding is that employees on administrative leave are denied access to email (where positions are often advertised internally) and hiring systems such as Talent Hub where open position descriptions are posted and through which candidates may apply,” Laura Dumais, staff counsel for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a letter last week.
The lockout violates a variety of requirements embedded in federal law, Dumais added, including the right to compete for employment and a ban on discrimination “on the basis of non-performance-related factors.” She asked EPA to immediately grant all idled staff access to its email system and to Talent Hub.
