Congressional Research Employees Association

CREA and CRS management have settled a grievance regarding employee start time. CRS management has complied with the grievance settlement by issuing guidelines for employees requesting an earlier start time due to personal hardship. Any employees considering requesting an earlier start time should refer to these guidelines, which can be found on the CRS Staff website, at http://www.crs.gov/staff/policies/starttime.shtml.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement contains provisions enabling employees to apply for an exemption to the normal start time. CREA did not bargain for detailed procedures since CREA believed such requests would be promptly processed. When the first request was made, it became apparent that the absence of stated procedures allowed the request to linger, unaddressed.

Faced with this delay, CREA formally requested that CRS management negotiate procedures. CRS management refused to negotiate; as a result, CREA filed a grievance. Upon consideration, CRS management chose to work with CREA to settle the grievance. Negotiations achieved guidelines for a clear and timely process.

REMINDER: Employees facing personal hardship can request an earlier start time. If you wish to do so, refer to the guidelines at http://www.crs.gov/staff/policies/starttime.shtml. As always, feel free to contact your steward, governor, or CREA directly if you have any questions.