Trump signs orders to make it easier to fire federal workers

WASHINGTON (AP)

President Donald Trump is taking steps to make it easier to fire federal workers for misconduct.

Trump signed a series of executive orders Friday directing agencies to make changes his staff says Congress has ignored.

The executive orders to overhaul the civil service call for:

• Negotiating smarter contracts with federal employee unions.

• Renegotiating contracts to limit to 25 percent the amount of time federal employees who are authorized to work on behalf of a labor union can spend on union business during work hours. The administration says this and other changes could save taxpayers $100 million annually.

• And streamlining the length of time needed to fire a federal worker for poor performance. The process currently takes between six months and a year, longer if the dismissal is appealed.