A commercial agency close to “collapse” because of teleworking and layoffs, according to a union

Morale and staff at a Commerce Department agency focused on local economic development are in dire straits due to telework policies and recent layoffs, which have strained an already stretched workforce. strained by calls from Congress to return to their offices, according to a federal union.

The union, which represents workers at the Economic Development Agency, sent a letter to Deputy Secretary Alejandra Castillo on May 28, drawing attention to the “rapid deterioration” of relations between civil servants and employees of the agency, who alleged that any new return-to-work plans would exacerbate the situation. turnover and lack of staff. Typically, workers report onsite twice per biweekly pay period.

“Yet discussions about how best to address our concerns have completely stalled,” according to the letter obtained by The Federal Times and sent by Local 3810 of the American Federation of Government Employees.

The letter says workers' comments about the work environment paint a picture of an “agency on the brink of collapse.”

While most departmental agencies recalled their employees to their offices after the pandemic, unions strongly opposed the move, saying teleworking has always been a staple of federal work and has helped offices to recruit and retain staff in light of salary shortages. and competitive advantages for the private sector.

Lawmakers, particularly Republicans, are wary of widespread remote work, saying delays in customer service at government agencies, including the Social Security Administration and the IRS, make the case for greater number of staff in person. Last week, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources department, assured lawmakers that more than half of all federal employees work in person full time.

Yet as House Republicans seek to increase that share through legislation, EDA union leaders say reinstatement mandates will cause employees to seek employment elsewhere, jeopardizing a period of growth for the agency which has seen its annual programs increase by $200 million in recent years. with additional funding through the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act.

At the EDA, more than half of those surveyed in a union survey said they were “actively” applying for jobs outside the agency. Nearly two-thirds said they would accept an outside offer if it was made.

The workforce has already been shaken, the union says in its letter, by “massive layoffs” that occurred about eight months ago. Ryan Zamarripa, speaking in his capacity as vice president of Local 3810, said in an interview that a group of staff members hired to implement supplement-funded programs were called to a virtual meeting and informed that they would be fired.

It's unclear exactly how many employees were affected, but Zamarripa said he knew of 20 to 30 who were initially hired through Schedule A for a two-year term and were later told they would be dismissed before the end of this period.

The EDA has mobilized billions of dollars for new programs since Congress began its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its resources to administer them are limited, officials said.

In a statement, Deputy Secretary Castillo and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Director of Operations Ben Page said the department had appropriately supervised its allocations.

The agency did not provide details on the layoffs cited by the union.

“EDA has appropriately managed the resources that have been provided, leveraging term employees to cope with an unprecedented increase in work without leaving an unsustainable tax burden,” they said. “The EDA has repeatedly sought additional resources through the President's budget to support this temporary staff to maintain a high level of customer service and we continue to work with Congress to secure the necessary resources. »

Regardless, AFGE said safeguarding telework is important to maintaining staffing levels at the only federal government agency focused exclusively on economic development.

EDA offices and projects are geographically dispersed throughout the country, so it makes sense that the agency could maintain telework, Zamarripa said.

“Most of our work was done on the ground, and that is the goal of our agency,” he added. “We are meant to be in the communities we serve. By requiring that people not be in communities, but rather in a federal office, either in Washington, D.C. or in Washington, D.C., [regional headquarters offices], we remove this very critical step. I think this is something that for some reason is not fully heard by EDA leadership.

In other cases, agency officials showed up to monthly labor council meetings in reduced numbers, the union said. The letter alleges that issues raised during these meetings are not communicated upstream to those in decision-making power, “without resolution or updating.”

In their joint statement, Assistant Secretary Castillo and Deputy Assistant Secretary Page said the leaders are committed to addressing workplace challenges.

“Throughout this period of exponential programmatic growth, the EDA leadership team, our union and our stakeholders have engaged in frequent, real-time dialogue about where we are and where we are going, including in thoughtful planning for our required increase in office attendance. ,” they said. “These conversations took place both privately, as well as through frequent leadership team calls and open town halls.”

The union said agency leaders received the letter and responded sharing their intent to resolve these issues.

“Honestly, the first step is just asking the deputy secretary to take what we're saying seriously and engage with us in a way that prevents more people from leaving,” Zamarripa said. “At the end of the day, we're all here because we think this is a great agency that does really good work, and we want to make sure we're able to do that in the future.”