The seal of the The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
(Reuters) - A federal labor board has filed a complaint accusing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of violating federal law by requiring staff that worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic to return to the office without first bargaining with their union.
The complaint filed by the Federal Labor Relations Authority on July 28 was announced by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents EEOC staffers, on Wednesday.
The EEOC in a statement said it is committed to bargaining in good faith over the implementation of its reentry plans.
"We view the union as a valuable partner in ensuring a safe and productive return to the agency’s physical workplaces so that we can serve the American people," the agency said.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the EEOC in May, when chair Charlotte Burrows ordered employees to begin returning to physical offices after more than two years of working remotely.
Some Republican lawmakers had criticized the EEOC for its prolonged office closures, which they said had harmed vulnerable workers.
The FLRA complaint accuses the EEOC of violating the Federal Service Labor-Relations Management Statute by setting the terms of workers' return without completing an agreement with the AFGE.
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