Congressional Research Employees Association

Following negotiations regarding a grievance, CREA has accepted CRS management’s offer to convert certain “not to exceed” positions to permanent positions. Several editors in the Electronic Research Products Office are affected and will be converted to permanent status. This conversion provides these employees with greater job security and enhances the CRS work environment by continuing ERPO’s present staff capacity.

CRS management sometimes uses not to exceed positions to fill ongoing needs within CRS. CREA has opposed CRS management’s use of not to exceed positions. CREA has consistently argued that new positions in CRS should be permanent positions, for the benefit of both the employees and the Service. Employees in these not to exceed positions, many of whom are CREA members, are faced with the daunting prospect of losing their jobs when the position’s allotted time expires, even when they have performed admirably. Moreover, CREA believes the continued staff turnover resulting from regular use of not to exceed positions is detrimental to the workplace, since the knowledge and skills of these valued employees are lost.
In the case of the ERPO editors, CREA had taken up a grievance with CRS management regarding the composition of promotion review boards. After a long and arduous period of negotiation, CRS management offered to convert the affected persons, all of whom were in not to exceed positions, to permanent positions in exchange for CREA withdrawing its current grievance. CREA agreed, ensuring the permanent status of these employees. In doing so, CREA maintains the ability to challenge the composition of future promotion review boards while gaining job security for members of the bargaining unit.

CREA would like to welcome these new permanent employees to their status and looks forward to their long and vibrant contributions to our work environment. CREA hopes that CRS management sees the value of hiring well-qualified individuals into permanent positions, rather than continuing to use temporary, not to exceed positions to meet important workplace needs.