Kansas City IRS workers say agency putting their safety at risk in COVID-19 pandemic
Employee and union leaders say the Internal Revenue Service has been slow to take safety precautions for workers at its Kansas City campus.
The IRS employs about 5,000 workers in the Kansas City area.
Workers who have contacted The Star say employees are still working in close quarters at the IRS processing center in downtown Kansas City, handling paper tax returns with little in the way of readily accessible hand sanitizers and wipes to keep work spaces clean.
“We have had very slow response for employees’ requests for safety,” said Shannon Ellis, president of the National Treasury Employee Union Chapter 66, which represents IRS employees in the Kansas City area.
Ellis said the IRS has started the process of reducing certain staff by 50% to help with social distancing. But that won’t go into effect until March 23, giving IRS employees a full week of work in the Kansas City campus when other businesses, schools and government agencies have been shutting down or telling employees to work from home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Officials with the IRS did not respond to requests for comment. A call to the IRS office in Kansas City at Union Station provides a recording that says the office is closed. Down the street on Pershing Road at the IRS submission processing center, cars could be seen entering and leaving the parking garage on Thursday.
The IRS announced Friday it had moved the national income tax filing day ahead to July 15, three months after the normal deadline.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidelines discouraging gatherings of more than 10 people in one area to help stem the transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus strain that spread out across the world in what the World Health Organization has deemed a pandemic. The CDC is also encouraging businesses to let workers who can work from home to do so.
“They’re not following those guidelines,” Ellis said. “On an average basis, you have 200 or more employees in those areas and we are still desk sharing as of today.”
Ellis said there is hand sanitizer in restrooms and break rooms but no availability of sanitary wipes for desks and other surfaces.
“As employees, we don’t feel like they’re providing a safe work environment,” Ellis said.
Sarah Randall, a 73-year-old seasonal worker for the IRS, said she walked off the job Monday out of concern for her health.
“We work side-by-side,” she said. “Some of us work much closer than others.”
— The Star’s Kevin Hardy contributed reporting to this story.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 11:25 AM.
