Jun 13, 2026
As if government cuts to the Internal Revenue Service weren’t enough to force employees out, one rodent infestation has driven workers out of the IRS Atlanta Campus.
Sydney Monger quit her job there last month and went public over the scourge of rats.
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“They’re just out and terrorizing everybody, running over people’s feet, falling out of ceilings,” she told WSB-TV, adding that she quit when her IRS coworkers started getting sick. “I’m scared to bring something back to my kids, you know?”
Monger’s colleague Toya Lytlewilson saw a rat by her foot while sitting at her desk.
“We looked at each other, I screamed, he screamed, then he went back into the hole,” she said. “I don’t need that type of coworker.”
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents the workers, led a protest outside the building Thursday, June 11 — joining the junior U.S. senator in Georgia, Raphael Warnock, senior senator in Georgia, Jon Ossoff, and Rep. Hank Johnson in calling on the IRS to allow Atlanta employees to work remotely until the problem is resolved.
“I’m appalled and disgusted by the working conditions that IRS employees at the Atlanta campus currently face,” Warnock said in a statement.
The situation is not new. Here’s what’s been going on at the Atlanta site and how the IRS has responded.
Workers have raised concerns about rats and other critters for years
Denise Wells-Gomez is not only one of the affected workers, but she also represents them as president of NTEU. She told CBS News that management had asked staff to stay in the office during fumigation, adding to the stress.
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“We’re not focusing on tax work,” Wells-Gomez said. “We’re worried about if the rat is going to come out and bite us.”
In a news release, the union noted that employees sat at work stations covered in rat urine and feces, and many workers “have health conditions and care for children or elderly parents and are fearful about what illnesses they may bring home to their loved ones.”
Humans can contract serious diseases from rats — like salmonella, leptospirosis or tularemia, particularly through contact with rat urine and droppings.
And the IRS workers aren’t just dealing with rats at the Atlanta site; there are cockroaches, snakes, and other pests, too. Cockroaches also carry disease and can trigger asthma.
Workers raised concerns about the current infestations with management and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the U.S. Department of Labor, and asked to work remotely. But Wells-Gomez said the workers have been complaining to OSHA for years without a permanent solution.
The IRS shared a statement with Fox News, saying it was aware of the current infestations at the IRS Atlanta Campus: “Like any large building in an urban environment, it can face pest-related challenges,” it said, adding that the IRS was working to fix the situation.
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The IRS continued to expect the workers to come in — right up until Thursday, June 11, when it appeared to bow to public pressure.
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IRS relents and allows Atlanta workers to work remotely
The IRS has finally agreed to allow the Atlanta IRS staff work remotely as of Friday June 12 until the problem is resolved.
“The IRS recognizes that this situation creates an uncomfortable work environment for our staff,” the agency said in a statement, noting that it is working with the U.S. General Services Administration.
The agency is working with the federal government’s property management arm — the General Services Administration — on remediation and said that it had hired a pest control company to increase the number and type of rat traps in and around the building.
It was also looking at ways to improve overall cleaning at the site.
Wells-Gomez told WSB Talk Radio she was happy about the agency’s decision to allow remote work, but disappointed that it came to this.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking for you to make sure that you are providing a safe and clean working environment for your employees,” she said. “That should be standard protocol.”
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Laura Boast is an Associate Editor with Moneywise.com and a lifelong content creator who has reached international audiences at Discovery, CBC, Blue Ant Media, Bond Brand Loyalty and more.
