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Washington, D.C.—Key members of the Georgia congressional delegation have joined with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) in calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to reconsider the decision to significantly reduce the workforce at the agency’s Chamblee Service Center in Georgia and to identify current or planned IRS programs or functions that can be relocated to the facility.

“There is no doubt that these members of Congress understand that the IRS would benefit by working to find ways to retain experienced employees and I appreciate their efforts to do so,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. The letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman was spearheaded by Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Henry Johnson (D-Ga.)

“I am pleased to work with the NTEU and the Georgia delegation on behalf of the IRS employees at the Chamblee Center,” said Rep. Lewis, who serves as the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman. “I have spoken with Commissioner Shulman about the Chamblee Center many times, and I know that he is committed to working with us on this issue.”

Rep. Johnson also signed the letter and added, “With increased demand on the IRS due to the Recovery Act, and with new compliance and enforcement initiatives taking hold, I look forward to working with Commissioner Shulman to take a closer look at the Chamblee Center and its dedicated employees before making any final decision.”

President Kelley stated, “NTEU has made progress in working with the IRS on this issue. It is my hope that there will be opportunities to bring new work to the Chamblee Center.”

She emphasized the continuing value to the IRS and taxpayers of retaining employees’ institutional understanding and familiarity with IRS programs, procedures and taxpayer safeguards.“This knowledge, skill and experience are invaluable assets,” she said, “and we should take every possible step to keep from losing these employees.”

The congressional letter to Commissioner Shulman noted the increasing IRS workload, and said “we do not believe that this is the time for a reduction in force of skilled and experienced employees.” The other signers of the letter are Reps. Sanford D. Bishop (D-Ga.) and David Scott (D-Ga.).

The proposed cutbacks at Chamblee, which would occur in October 2011, are part of an IRS program of consolidating paper return processing operations to five locations by the end of next year; the agency’s argument has been that with electronic filing of tax returns on the rise, it wants to reduce its paper processing operations.

The Georgia members of Congress questioned whether the assumptions and findings in a 2000 report on electronic filing continue to be relevant.

They pointed out that the IRS Oversight Board noted in its recent annual report to Congress the overall e-filing rate was only 56 percent in 2009, and that it is unlikely the IRS will reach its 80 percent e-filing goal by 2012—a goal that, in part, was the basis for the consolidation of the paper submission processing units at the service centers.

This latest letter to Commissioner Shulman mirrors, in part, an earlier effort by NTEU and members of the Massachusetts and New Hampshire congressional delegations when the IRS planned to eliminate paper return processing at its facility in Andover, Mass.

The expressions of congressional concern, along with NTEU and IRS negotiations, resulted in the agency bringing new work to Andover, along with having a significant number of employees there moving to other positions or selecting early-out and buyout options.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including employees at the Internal Revenue Service.