While the contract provision on telework and remote work sometimes allows the IRS to temporarily pause arrangements in limited cases, a neutral third-party arbitrator ruled that the agency violated NTEU’s contract by eliminating all telework and remote work agreements. Moreover, the arbitrator ruled that the agency failed to show that such agreements have impaired IRS operations.
The arbitrator ordered the IRS to restore telework and remote work to levels from before March 8, 2025, when the agency terminated most employee agreements, and stop further violations of the negotiated article.
While the IRS has 30 days in which to appeal this decision to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, NTEU is urging the IRS to do the right thing and comply.