Arbitrator rules for union in dispute with IRS

An independent arbitrator has ruled that Internal Revenue Service officials acted improperly in unilaterally terminating certain provisions of the agency's contract with employees represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.

Managers' prerogative to assign and schedule work did not outweigh the IRS' obligation to bargain in good faith with NTEU, arbitrator Roger Abrams said in a Sept. 21 decision. He ordered the agency to give proper notice if it wishes to bargain over the measures.

"NTEU now has two highly respected and independent arbitrators ruling that the decisions management made in structuring its term bargaining strategy were illegal from beginning to end," NTEU President Colleen Kelley said in a statement.

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