Hundreds of employees in Philadelphia among IRS layoffs, union says
Hundreds of Internal Revenue Service employees in Philadelphia are among the agency's more than 6,000 layoffs expected by the end of this week, according to the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 71.
Alex Jay Berman, executive vice president of NTEU Chapter 71, told CBS News Philadelphia that about 400 probationary employees are expected to be laid off Thursday and that a similar number will be terminated after May 18.
The employees are from the agency's Small Business/Self-Employed Division in Philadelphia.
"Heartbreaking. I've had people crying walking out the door," Berman said. "People look at me not only like someone killed their monkey but ran a train over their entire circus. 'Why are they blaming us when we're trying to do jobs as best as we can?' … Those of us who have given to the country are scared and angry. This is being done arbitrarily in the name of savings that do not exist."
The federal government's probationary workers are those who are still in a trial period that typically extends for one to two years of employment in their position.
Berman said the employees received letters implying poor performance was the reason for their dismissal. But, Berman said, these workers have received positive reviews or are so new to the job they haven't been reviewed yet.
"We have one employee, for example, that was fired today who is the daughter of a 30-year decorated employee here at the same service center and shows the same abilities and the same aptitude as her mother, who was getting great marks, great reviews, and was thrown out like trash, 36 weeks pregnant," Berman said.
CBS News obtained an email shared by an IRS employee sent Wednesday to the agency's Small Business/Self-Employed Division. The email said the agency's Human Capital Office would notify impacted SBSE employees on Thursday. More than 6,000 IRS employees are expected to lose their jobs by the end of this week, and more than half — over 3,500 — are expected to be from the SBSE division.
The layoffs are expected weeks before the tax filing season hits peak activity in mid-March through mid-April.
The IRS, which has tens of thousands of employees, is expected to carry out some of the highest numbers of mass terminations known so far at a department or agency under the Trump administration.
The layoffs come after the Trump administration and the Office of Personnel Management issued a directive to cut probationary workers across federal agencies.
The agency's SBSE division ensures small business owners comply with tax obligations, such as filing their taxes, and offers help with debt resolution. According to the IRS' website, the division serves more than 57 million small business owners and entrepreneurs with less than $10 million in assets.
In an interview, Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Philadelphia in Congress called the cuts "random" and "unplanned."
"I'm very nervous, right here as we're beginning tax season, that now, all of my constituents who were complaining several years ago about the poor performance of IRS customer service and not getting anyone to answer their phone calls, now suddenly we might be right back in that situation. In fact, perhaps worse," Boyle said.
Boyle said he supports making government more efficient but says it must be done in a "lawful, rational" way, noting efforts under the Clinton administration to make changes.
"These are very unwise cuts," he said. "They're happening completely randomly, and finally, I'll say this: It is unlawful because you cannot have a president — any president — going around Congress deciding to fire people willy-nilly, completely randomly and without cause."
Boyle said he is "confident that ultimately the courts are going to strike this down."
In a statement, Boyle's office said constituents who need help with their IRS refunds can contact the office.