Telework Tug-of-War May Hinder Government Work as Virus Spreads

A long-running battle between the Trump administration and federal unions over telework eligibility and recent efforts to scale back telework at several agencies could be hurting the government’s ability to gear up for coronavirus contingencies.

“In no way is the government ready for 100% telework or any significant fraction thereof,” said Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees. The Trump administration actively worked to reduce telework at federal agencies, often fighting its unions to do so, he said.

Responding to a possible pandemic is challenging because there are more than 2 million federal workers across the ...