New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to hire federal workers fired by DOGE
NEW YORK (WABC) -- "My heart just dropped. I couldn't believe it. I thought, this has to be this has to be wrong," Luke Graziani, a fired federal worker, said.
That's what Luke Graziani thought when he opened an email on February 14th and saw a "Notification of Termination During Probationary Period."
The Army veteran was suddenly out of his public affairs job at the Bronx Veterans Hospital, just 5 weeks shy of his probationary period ending.
He was one of thousands trimmed from the ranks in the DOGE cuts.
"I think there's ways of doing it that also allow for the right people to stay in the right positions and not just completely upend and destroy lives in the process," Graziani said.
And many federal workers feel like they're being toyed with. Last week workers were told to defend their jobs to Elon Musk or face firing. A requirement the president later called voluntary.
But in the midst of all of this, New York's governor is hoping to capitalize on a growing pool of possible hires.
"The fed gov is firing. We're hiring," Gov. Kathy Hochul says in a new commercial.
Hochul has launched a new initiative to recruit workers into state service as the federal government is laying off thousands of highly qualified workers.
The governor announced the "You're Hired" initiative in response to the Department of Government Efficiency's moves to lay off federal workers.
"The federal government might say, 'You're fired,' but here in New York, we say, 'You're hired.' In fact, we love federal workers," Governor Hochul said. "Whatever your skills, we value public service. Check out potential jobs at ny.gov/wewantyou. Come join our New York State family."
Luke meanwhile has a 3-year-old daughter at home in Queens. Luke wants to work.
He's almost finished with an MBA and his deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq make him a unique candidate for whoever is hiring.
"I was called to serve and give back to my fellow veterans. And if I can't do that, then I'm open to whoever is willing to take me on," he said.
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Since taking office, Hochul has worked to implement several initiatives to strengthen the public workforce in New York.
In 2023 she extended 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave to the entire state workforce and in 2024, the state launched a program to temporarily waive civil service exam requirements for man job vacancies.
RELATED | 21 federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE slash size of government
Hochul has also lifted the hiring freeze, expanded opportunities for individuals and veterans with disabilities, and funded new testing centers to further support the workforce.
"Public service is a noble calling, and we're looking for the best and brightest to come work for New York State," New York State Department of Civil Service Commissioner and Civil Service Commission President Timothy R. Hogues said. "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, we have been working hard to retain and recruit the next generation of employees and servant-leaders. By coming to work for the Empire State, you'll have the opportunity to help your neighbors, community and state in a variety of ways - serving, protecting, and caring for your fellow New Yorkers and our wonderful resources in solid, stable jobs."
Job cuts in the federal government have been coordinated by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency under the stated goal of slashing government bureaucracy. There's no official tally of the total number of firings.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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