![]()
Chapter 97 (IRS Fresno Service Center) organized a farewell event for members moving on to retirement or other opportunities due to the upcoming closure of the IRS Fresno Submission Processing Center.
“We treated our members to tacos and a drink, passed out our new shirts and gave them a commemorative bag with a few goodies inside,” said Chapter Vice President Marcella Gutierrez, who organized the socially distanced, in-person celebration.
In 2017, the IRS announced it was phasing out the submission processing function at three IRS locations. Chapter 97 (Fresno Service Center) is one of three NTEU chapters impacted and submission processing there ends later this year.
Early on, NTEU secured an agreement that immediately helped as many employees as possible choose a suitable alternative before a reduction-in-force. NTEU collaborated with the IRS on several options, including reassignments, outplacement assistance, job swaps and relocations. NTEU helped match SP employees with other similar IRS functions and also negotiated for three rounds of buyout and early retirement offers.
Chapter 97 worked diligently to ensure employees were educated about their different options, including taking advantage of reskilling opportunities so they could remain with the IRS. The chapter, led by Chapter President Jason Sisk, sent regular emails with information and deadlines for different options, established a webpage with resources and helped employees navigate job swap and VERA/VISPs. Mostly, the chapter served as a trusted resource for employees going through a major transition in their working lives. Gutierrez reports that the chapter fielded hundreds of questions about the buyouts, severance packages, retirement and job swaps.
Along with giving employees a chance to say goodbye, Chapter 97 used the event to host a letter-writing campaign in support of NTEU’s legislative agenda.
“Everyone was encouraged to join our letter-writing campaign and several members sent letters to Congress through NTEU’s Legislative Action Center—while they ate tacos!” said Gutierrez. “We gave away NTEU coffee mugs and gift cards for each participant.”
Chapter 97 also encouraged employees who are retiring to stay connected with their friends and colleagues by becoming retiree members. Learn more
