A third-party arbitrator is ordering the Forest Service to restore telework and remote work agreements for close to 20,000 employees represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees.

In a decision issued Friday, Arbitrator Robert T. Simmelkjaer ruled that the Forest Service violated its collective bargaining agreement with NFFE, as well as the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act, when the agency issued return-to-office orders for employees in early 2025.

Simmelkjaer determined that the Forest Service’s actions breached multiple union contract provisions. That includes one requiring union negotiations over changes in employment conditions, and another defining the parameters for changes to employee telework and remote work arrangements.

“The agency’s violation was a clear and patent breach that went to the heart of the parties’ agreement,” the decision reads.