Rats at the IRS Are Causing Serious Problems
There are rats at the IRS! It may have been said before, but this time it’s verifiably true. There really are rats at the IRS. At least, at the IRS office in the greater Atlanta area.
Rats at the IRS Office
At least one employee has quit her job, blaming the rat infestation at the IRS Chamblee campus in Georgia. The employee, Sydney Monger, told WSB-TV, “they’re [the rats] just out and terrorizing everybody, running over people’s feet, falling out of ceilings.” Monger added, “[I was] terrified. I don’t do rodents, I don’t do bugs, creepy crawlies – nuh-uh.”
The rats at the IRS office announced their presence in early May. Employees described rodents chewing through cubicles and leaving droppings on desks. WSB-TV obtained videos and photos showing rat droppings on the office floor, and what appeared to be a dead rat in a trap. Additional videos showed dead rats under the desks of some of the workers as they sat on top of the desks.
Searching for Solutions
The union representing the workers lodged several complaints, which resulted in Georgia’s two senators demanding the IRS enable employees to work remotely. The IRS response was to move the workforce to another office building – which also has rat problems. In addition, employees report that the facility has water leaks, mold, roaches and water bugs.
Workers are still lobbying to work remotely. But the White House issued an edict in 25 demanding federal workers return to the office following the pandemic. The IRS allows exceptions only for of significant hardship. The agency gives examples a few examples of significant hardship, such as escaping domestic violence, or recovering from an organ transplant. No mention of rats.
In the meantime, IRS employees continue to register their displeasure. Said one employee to CBS News, “I was sitting at my desk, minding my business, doing my work, and I looked through my peripheral vision and there was a rat right there by my foot. We looked at each other. It screamed, I screamed. Then it went back into the hole. I don’t need that type of coworker.”
Links
The King County government offers these tips to prevent rodent infestations.
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