U.S. FEDCourt order
FLRA upholds telework award against HHS and finds most citations in agency's brief faulty
The Federal Labor Relations Authority has denied every exception HHS filed against an arbitration award finding that its return-to-office directive violated its contract with the National Treasury Employees Union. The authority said 35 of 42 citations in the agency's brief were fictitious, erroneous or irrelevant, said HHS may have used a generative AI tool, and warned parties using AI to verify their filings.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Federal News Network, Above the Law, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Key points
- The decision, 74 FLRA No. 87, issued October 21, 2026, rejects HHS's nonfact, essence and exceeded-authority exceptions.Bloomberg LawFederal News NetworkFederal Labor Relations Authority
- An arbitrator found HHS's February 2025 return-to-office directive violated the telework provisions of its NTEU agreement.Bloomberg LawFederal News NetworkFederal Labor Relations Authority
- The authority found 22 of 29 footnotes and 35 of 42 citations fictitious, erroneous or irrelevant.Above the LawFederal Labor Relations Authority
- It said HHS may have used a generative AI tool and urged parties to verify AI-assisted filings.Bloomberg LawFederal News NetworkAbove the LawFederal Labor Relations Authority
- NTEU called on HHS to comply with the award; employees are unlikely to see immediate telework changes.Federal News Network
Sources4 articles across 4 outlets
Above the Law
Bloomberg Law
Federal Labor Relations Authority
Federal News Network