Unions for federal workers have filed a lawsuit to block the mass firings of probationary federal employees by President Donald Trump’s administration, alleging that officials are exploiting and misusing the probationary period to eliminate staff across government agencies.

The unions allege in the complaint filed late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in California that the firings “represent one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.”

The lawsuit says the administration’s Office of Personnel Management acted unlawfully by directing federal agencies to use a standardized termination notice falsely claiming performance issues. The unions seek an injunction to stop more firings and to rescind those that have already happened.

The complaint contends that the firings were made on false pretenses and violate federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act.

$30,000 offered to crash victims

Delta Air Lines is offering $30,000 to every passenger aboard a regional jet flight that came to rest upside down after crash landing at a Toronto airport earlier this week.

The payments are “a good-faith gesture” that have “no strings attached and does not affect rights,” Morgan Durrant, a Delta spokesman, said Wednesday.

Carriers in the past have made similar payments, such as $5,000 to help passengers replace possessions lost on US Airways’ “Miracle on the Hudson” flight in 2009.

There were no fatalities among the 76 passengers and four crew members in the accident Monday at Toronto-Pearson International Airport, although 21 people were injured.

Canadian aviation safety officials have recovered the cockpit voice and data recorders from the Bombardier CRJ900 plane and are trying to determine a cause.

Nikola files for bankruptcy

Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection months after saying that it would likely run out of cash early this year.

Nikola was a hot start-up and rising star on Wall Street before becoming enmeshed in scandal and its founder was convicted in 2022 for misleading investors about the Arizona company’s technology.

At the trial of founder Trevor Milton, prosecutors say a company video of a prototype truck appearing to be driven down a desert highway was actually a video of a nonfunctioning Nikola that had been rolled down a hill.

But the hype around the company was immense. In 2020, Nikola was valued at around $30 billion, exceeding the market capitalization of Ford Motor Co.

Nikola filed for protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and said Wednesday that it has also filed a motion seeking approval to pursue an auction and sale of the business.

Unemployment claims tick up

Slightly more Americans applied for jobless benefits last week, but layoffs remained in the same recent healthy range.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 5,000 to 219,000 for the week ending Feb. 15, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 215,000 new applications would be filed.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs.

The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 1,000 to 215,250.

Some analysts say they expect layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report in the coming weeks.

Panera Bread founder dies at 81

Ken Rosenthal, the man behind Panera Bread, died at his Scottsdale home Feb. 14 from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81 years old.

The Missouri native didn’t know how to cook eggs when he opened St. Louis Bread Co. in 1987.

His family say it was a labor of love that started after he visited the bakery-cafe Le Boulanger in San Francisco.

After learning how to bake from owner-manager Roger Brunello, he took a sourdough starter kit home to St. Louis.

St. Louis Bread Co. grew to 18 locations before Rosenthal and his business partners sold it to Au Bon Pain in 1993. The chain was renamed Panera. Rosenthal remained as a franchise operator, helping to grow the chain, which now has 2,000 locations.

Compiled from Bloomberg, Associated Press and Denver Post reports.