IYKYK. We’re under a continuing resolution, so it’s not like there’s any money for buyouts, it’s not possible to pay what they’re proposing. It’s not severance, nothing about you getting to stop working but still getting paid. Be very thoughtful, talk to your union reps if you’re in a bargaining unit. Nobody be rash.
Edit: Link for interested folks - Reuters article
As an outsider, I say go for it. Being fans of your work extends to wanting you all to have a safe space to discuss Union business.
If you need better privacy, you could also use this space to exchange some private GPG keys for encrypted emails, or pick a meeting place on a public XMPP server, before enabling OMEMO encryption.