2022 National Agreement – FAQs

 These rules apply to “bargaining unit” employees. Usually, these are non-manager employees who do not work in CI, Chief Counsel, or involved in secure or HR-related work. You can find your bargaining unit status on your SF-50. 

 HCO is working to make a recommendation for senior leadership as to which benefits “pass through” to non-bargaining unit employees. Once those decisions are made, we will immediately let you know. 

 Yes. However, management has agreed that it will not use these tools to monitor/track employees, measure productivity, or act as a time and attendance tool. 

It depends. The “availability” feature of instant messaging – which shows an employee’s status as “Available,” “Away,” “Busy,” or “Do Not Disturb” – should show your current status. That is, employees need to be reachable through these tools, and employees cannot use this feature to prevent management, your colleagues, or your customers from communicating with you. As a result, the “Do Not Disturb” function may be used on a limited basis (e.g., to complete a specific task). If you are available, however, your status should show that you are “available.” 

It depends. Management can require that employees use webcams for individual or group meetings, including training, where face-to-face meetings are warranted but impractical. That means that managers should not require the use of a webcam just to see a person. That would be inappropriate. Management can, however, require a team of employees to use webcams to attend a team meeting when, e.g., the team is not co-located. In addition, management could require an employee to use a webcam for a performance review since such a meeting would usually be held in person if the employee and manager were co-located. Management could also require an employee to use a webcam for a meeting with a taxpayer if such meeting would normally be done face-to-face but for some impracticality (e.g., COVID-19). 

 Yes, in certain scenarios. Your manager can call you into the office for a regularly scheduled team meeting (e.g., a weekly or monthly team meeting), or for a special circumstance – e.g., training, office coverage, filing season appointment. Your manager cannot, however, call you into the office just to see you. It must be a special circumstance or for a regularly scheduled meeting. 

 Your telework location must be within 200 miles of your assigned POD. Your manager does, however, retain sole discretion to approve teleworking outside of that radius for up to two pay periods in a calendar year. The two pay periods need not be consecutive – i.e., you can be approved for the exception for one pay period in December and one pay period in July. In such instances, you must use your own leave should you become unable to telework (i.e., you cannot get weather and safety leave if there is, for example, a power outage). 

It depends. As a frequent teleworker, your work determines how often you can telework. The contract defines frequent telework as 80 hours or more of telework in a calendar month. For many employees, that may only mean two full days per pay period, which is the minimum you must report to the office. For other employees, you may be required to report up to twice a week (or four times a pay period) to perform certain job duties – e.g., check mail, meet with taxpayers, office coverage. 

 First consideration is still applicable to many jobs at the IRS. The exception is entry level positions for many common job series. Please see Article 13, Section 2.C for a list of those positions exempt from first consideration. 

You will only get a referral bonus if you refer someone into a “hard-to-fill” position. Be on the lookout for communications about which positions are considered “hard-to-fill.” Once you refer someone into one of these positions, you will receive $250 on the person’s six-month anniversary and an additional $250 on the one-year anniversary.