Philly's IRS workers faced a resignation deadline as Americans rushed to file their taxes

As millions of Americans faced a tax filing deadline on Tuesday, IRS employees at the Philadelphia office and beyond faced other deadlines of their own.

Monday was the last day for IRS workers to upload their resumes, so agency leaders could determine their qualifications, which they were instructed to do earlier this month as part of a planned reduction in their workforce.

Workers also had through Monday to apply for a deferred resignation program — the latest of its kind this year — allowing them to resign and continue getting paid for several months. It was just one of three separation options offered to IRS workers this month as they await the impact of federal workforce reductions.

Amid these deadlines, some IRS workers also saw a slight bump in their most recent paycheck, but it wasn't a raise. Their union dues weren't deducted, said Alex Jay Berman, executive vice president of National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 71. His union chapter represents IRS workers at the 30th and Market Street location in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, roughly 400 probationary workers were set to return to the IRS office in Philadelphia on Monday after being laid off earlier this year. But now it's unclear when they will come back to work, said Berman, as some were told late last week that they would remain on administrative leave.

IRS employees with compressed schedules (four 10-hour days a week) could also see that option end in May, said Berman.

A spokesperson for the Treasury Department, asked about these issues, cited efficiency efforts.

"Staffing reductions that are currently being considered at the IRS will be part of — and driven by — process improvements and technological innovations that will allow the IRS to collect revenue and serve taxpayers more effectively," a Treasury spokesperson said via email. "The roll back of wasteful Biden-era hiring surges, and consolidation of critical support functions are vital to improve both efficiency and quality of service."

Amid these changes, Berman said, some local members are asking, "How will I survive through 2025 into 2026 and all the years coming?"

"People are trying to make contingency plans when there is no information available for them to properly plan for the rest of their lives, for their retirements — be they early retirements, be they forced retirements — for their resignations, for their being summarily dismissed," he said.

IRS workers are feeling "existential dread," he said, because "their existence as productive workers, the productive workers they've always been, is threatened."

Are probationary employees coming back to work?

Roughly 400 probationary employees were laid off at the Philadelphia IRS office earlier this year, amid a wave of layoffs across the government, targeting people who had been in their position for less than a year. Those firings have been debated in court, with workers left in limbo.

The laid-off IRS employees in Philadelphia were reinstated, given back pay, and placed on administrative leave, noted Berman. They were expected to return to the office on Monday, but late last week, probationary workers were told via email that they would remain on administrative leave, said Berman.

Do IRS workers have a union?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to end union representation for thousands of federal workers. The National Treasury Employees Union is suing over the change and other labor unions are also taking legal action.

Berman says the union heard from members in recent days that their latest paycheck showed no union dues deduction.

"This is another arrow fired at the union and at employees to deny them representation," he said.

According to Politico, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to stop collecting union dues April 25, and the Department of Defense has already done so.

Philip Glover, national vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 3, confirmed on Tuesday that the Department of Defense has stopped collecting some dues, and he has heard the VA as well as the Bureau of Prisons is also shutting down collection. AFGE District 3 represents roughly 9,400 federal workers in and near Philadelphia. The union has begun transitioning members to an internal dues system, said Glover.

Depending on the outcome of the union's lawsuit, NTEU may have to find a way to collect dues directly from members going forward, said Berman, who noted that dues are in part used to pay for lawyers.

No more four-day workweek for some IRS employees

The IRS is planning to modify some workers' schedules, according to an email from the agency that was viewed by The Inquirer. Starting on May 3, working a compressed schedule will no longer be allowed, with some exceptions, according to the email. Those who now do so have to pick a new schedule by April 28.

The compressed work schedule provides "greater work-life balance" for employees, said Berman, and allows him to schedule doctor's appointments on the days of the week he doesn't work.

IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause, in a memo announcing the change, said many IRS employees have a work schedule with Monday or Friday off, and that "hinders the completion of our mission-critical work."

Voluntary separations and retirements

Some IRS workers weren't fired, but were shown the door.

Eligible employees can choose to be placed on paid administrative leave through Sept. 30, according to emails from the agency and the Department of the Treasury viewed by The Inquirer. Workers had from April 7 through April 14 to apply, and could start their leave as early as April 28.

One email also said they could apply for early retirement or a voluntary separation program.

"They are basically pushing good people through fear to take that resignation or to take early retirement ... because they're saying 'we can't guarantee your jobs won't be RIFed‚'" Berman said, using as a verb the term that's become quite familiar this year: reduction in force.