The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is bringing back 132 employees who were let go when the Trump administration began firing hundreds of probationary employees back in February 2025, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union.
On March 17, 2025, David Spero, the National President of PASS, announced in a statement that the decision comes following the ruling of a Maryland court. The reinstated employees will receive back pay dated from February 15, 2025, and are expected to resume their duties on March 20, 2025.
“While the agency is complying with a Maryland court ruling handed down last week that said the terminations at various agencies – including the Department of Transportation – were unlawful, this is a win for public safety and for a critical workforce dedicated to the FAA’s mission,” Spero said.
Spero added that haphazardly eliminating positions and encouraging resignations “creates a demoralizing effect on the workforce”.
Although the employee termination email indicated they were being let go for “performance reasons not in the public interest,” PASS said that it has learned from managers and supervisors that these statements were false.
“We are pleased that the expungement of these letters referencing the false performance claims allows these employees to continue their service to the American flying public without this unsubstantiated blemish on their work record,” Spero’s statement read.
In February 2025, Spero announced that “several hundred” employees were being summarily fired from their jobs during their probationary period, saying that the union was “disappointed by the administration’s decision to fire FAA probationary employees without cause nor based on performance or conduct.”
