Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Labor will require remote workers to return to the office starting Dec. 1, according to a statement released by the president of the National Council of Field Labor Locals, Daryl Laurie.
- Under the new rule, non-bargaining unit employees outside of Washington, D.C., and all members of the NCFLL — which represents about 7,500 employees — will have to be in the office five days of each biweekly pay period, per a law firm’s statement on the decision. In November 2023, DOL announced a return-to-office mandate for remote workers starting in January 2024, which the NCFLL said it challenged. DOL delayed the requirement while it negotiated with the union.
- “The NCFLL is extremely disappointed that Acting Secretary Su has taken this action as the Department has not fully met its labor management obligations,” Laurie wrote in the union’s Oct. 15 statement. Neither DOL nor the NCFLL, which is a part of the American Federation of Government Employees, could immediately be reached for comment.
Dive Insight:
The negotiations between DOL and NCFLL put the agency tasked with enforcing parts of the Fair Labor Standards Act, including the FLSA’s federal minimum wage and overtime pay provisions, into the spotlight.
The union said it is looking into challenging what it is characterizing as a “unilateral action” by Su and said opposing the change is “a top priority of the NCFLL.”
According to Laurie, NCFLL has reached out to its attorney and to the AFGE for support. It also has an appeal before the Federal Labor Relations Authority. On Oct. 4, Laurie sent a letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., requesting the Sanders’ assistance in contacting Su.