Arbitrary Treasury Directive Ignores Telework Success

NTEU vehemently opposes the Department of the Treasury’s directive to reduce telework across all of Treasury’s agencies and divisions, including the IRS. This directive doubles down on unwise guidance from the Office of Management and Budget that seeks to drive employees back to the office without any persuasive rationale for doing so.

Bargaining unit employees are protected by their NTEU contracts and those rights cannot be erased by Treasury’s decision. National President Doreen Greenwald spoke to Federal News Network about the union’s opposition to this change.

Telework is an indispensable workplace flexibility that helps federal agencies recruit and retain skilled employees without sacrificing productivity, a fact that NTEU witnesses first-hand every day and is backed up by the Treasury Department’s own assessment provided to Congress just a few months ago.

The directive seeks that teleworkers spend half of their time in the office by May 5. NTEU stands ready to fight any efforts to extend the plan to bargaining unit employees.