Thousands of IRS employees now returning to their workplaces will be provided with a protective mask if they didn’t bring one with them, according to the leader of the agency’s largest union.
Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in an April 28 statement that the IRS told the union the previous day that it has sufficient quantities of face masks at each workplace for employees who didn’t bring their own.
The update comes after the IRS announced April 25 that it would be partially reopening critical agency workplaces during the coronavirus pandemic beginning the week of April 27, and that it was offering incentive pay to employees voluntarily returning — but with the expectation that those workers bring their own personal protective equipment.
The IRS said that requiring employees to wear masks was an example of the agency exceeding federal safety guidelines for COVID-19.
“All those reporting to IRS facilities this week are volunteers stepping up to get critical work done,” Reardon said in his statement. “We are in close contact with employees and with the IRS to identify, raise and solve problems to ensure their return is as safe as possible.”
Reardon said that most IRS employees returning to work brought their own face masks.
The NTEU had previously estimated that 10,000 IRS workers at all 10 agency campuses might be recalled in an “initial wave” of reopenings, but that if there aren’t enough volunteers, “the agency will direct employees to return to the workplace.”
The IRS didn’t respond to questions about how many employees have returned to work, to which facilities, and for what purposes.
Concerns Remain
Returning IRS employees still have safety concerns, according to Reardon. “Among their concerns were how many employees would be there, if the buildings had been cleaned, and if extra cleaning and disinfecting would be the standard moving forward,” he said.
Reardon said the IRS had assured the union that in addition to stocking sufficient disposable masks for each workplace, workers would be properly distanced. The agency also pledged to step up cleaning of common areas and high-touch surfaces, he said.
However, “there remains a fear among employees that by returning to these worksites their health is at risk, along with that of their families, so they are cautious in their return,” Reardon said.
The union told Tax Notes it was too early to report on IRS workers’ experiences during the restart.