NTEU National Agreement with IRS expires

NTEU Vows To Fight IRS Strategy to Take Back Employee Rights, Benefits

Despite NTEU’s best efforts to negotiate an extension, the NTEU National Agreement with the IRS expired on June 30, 2006. The vast majority of the terms and conditions of our national agreement remain in effect, with some exceptions.

Repeated attempts by NTEU to continue the current contract until a new contract could be negotiated—a standard practice across the federal government—were rejected by the IRS.

Messages from NTEU       July 7, 2006       July 14, 2006

IRS management immediately took advantage of the opportunity to cut certain contract benefits including paying instructors who travel for a period of over two weeks a six percent differential; denying health insurance benefits to seasonal new hires; eliminating the union’s right to a 30-minute meeting following the end of a formal meeting; and terminating local bargaining.

During mid-term bargaining last year, it became apparent that IRS management was advancing a strategy to eliminate critical employee rights and benefits, some of which have been in place for 30 years. Management has said it wants to renegotiate every single article in the national agreement.

“NTEU intends to fight this transparent maneuver by IRS management to circumvent its obligations to its employees,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “If IRS is spoiling for a fight at the bargaining table or in the courts, we are prepared to give them one.”

As it has for nearly 70 years, NTEU will continue to use every available avenue to fight on behalf of IRS employees.

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