The House Appropriations Committee has issued a report
directing the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner to put
reductions in force on hold until further justifying that
aspect of its broad restructuring efforts, according to a
statement issued by the National Treasury Employees Union.
It said the committee wants a detailed cost analysis of
expected savings, including productivity increases due to
consolidation, consolidations, and hiring and training costs,
no later than May 13, 2005.
The reductions would affect 1,600 case processing and
insolvency employees; 2,200 submission processing center
employees; 780 workers in modernization and information
technology services; and 260 transitional processing center
employees. The committee called the information provided so
far inadequate.
The committee asked IRS for a detailed cost analysis of
expected savings, including productivity increases due to
consolidation, consolidations, and hiring and training costs,
said NTEU.
It said the committee also directed IRS to minimize involuntary
separations in the event that it proceeded with reductions,
including, “providing preferences to those employees targeted
by a RIF for other vacancies for which they are qualified
within the IRS, the Treasury Department or any other federal
agency; a 90-day hiring freeze after a RIF announcement to
allow targeted employees to apply for an appropriate
position; bump-and-retreat rights with broadly-defined
competitive areas; training or retraining; active agency
involvement in seeking authorization for early-out and buyout
programs; and the maximum of six months allowable of Career
Transition Assistance Program benefits.”
