IRS writes off a furlough day

Today brought some good news for IRS employees: An unpaid furlough day scheduled for this coming Monday has been cancelled.

“The IRS will be open for taxpayers that day as scheduled, and all employees will be paid for that day,” acting agency chief Danny Werfel said in a blast email to workers. “This step follows a lot of hard work across the service to cut costs.”

The now-cancelled furlough day was supposed to be the fourth taken by IRS employees because of sequester-related budget cuts. A fifth and final furlough day is still scheduled for Aug. 30; management will keep the workforce informed on its status, Werfel said in the email.

News that at least one furlough day can be written off was welcomed by the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents many IRS workers.

“While I am concerned that this announcement comes so close to the planned furlough day, it is a positive development arising from our continuing discussions with the agency on furloughs,” NTEU President Colleen Kelley said in a news release. “We have been encouraging the agency and working with it in an effort to find savings sufficient to allow it to cancel employee furloughs.”