A group of federal employees filed a class action complaint with a U.S. labor board on Wednesday claiming they were fired for their involvement in implementing diversity, equity and inclusion policies, in violation of their constitutional rights.

The complaint was filed with the federal Merit Systems Protection Board in Washington by Mahri Stainnak, the former deputy director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's DEI office. Three other federal workers will join the case after their terminations take effect in April, according to the complaint.

President Donald Trump in January ordered federal agencies to shut down DEI programs and barred federal contractors from adopting diversity policies that may be discriminatory. He also directed agencies to investigate DEI policies adopted by companies, schools and nonprofits.

DEI programs have been part of workplace efforts to ensure fairer representation for groups seen as historically marginalized. Advocacy groups say DEI programs help uplift marginalized communities by addressing historic inequities. Trump and his allies say the programs are discriminatory and erode merit-based decision making.

Stainnak argued that targeting federal employees for termination based on their perceived political views and affiliations violates their rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,...

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