# NTEU Challenges IRS Telework Policy

The National Treasury Employees Union has sued the Internal Revenue Service in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the IRS violated the Administrative Procedure Act by refusing to reinstate telework ordered by an arbitrator. The dispute follows the IRS’s termination of its collective bargaining agreement with NTEU. The signals identify no solicitation, contract award, or procurement opportunity; the relevance to contractors is indirect and concerns potential effects on IRS workforce operations and labor relations.

- The case concerns implementation of an arbitration ruling and the IRS’s return-to-office policy, not a change to procurement requirements or contract terms.
- Contractors supporting IRS operations may find workforce arrangements relevant where their work depends on coordination with agency personnel; the signals do not identify specific contract impacts.
- Procurement professionals have no new procurement action or deadline identified in these reports.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** October 31, 2026

### Government Entities
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

### Key Quotes
> Neither the IRS nor any other federal agency can ignore a binding arbitration decision because it dislikes the outcome.
> — Doreen Greenwald, National President of the National Treasury Employees Union

### Sources
- [
        IRS facing new lawsuit over return-to-office policy - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2026/10/irs-facing-new-lawsuit-over-return-to-office-policy) - Federal News Network