Congressional Research Employees Association

CREA has successfully petitioned to have 7 administrative support assistants (ASAs) added to the bargaining unit. On May 28, CREA received notice from CRS management agreeing that 7 of the 8 ASAs, whose positions were originally placed outside the bargaining unit, should be in the bargaining unit.

The ASA positions were created to replace the production support positions eliminated as part of the 2005 reduction-in-force at CRS. The new position descriptions included duties that management claimed excluded them from the bargaining unit.

It was always CREA’s contention that employees in the new positions were unlikely to perform these exclusionary duties. In early April, CREA met with the ASAs to discuss their duties and CREA’s proposal to include them in the bargaining unit. After the meeting, CREA approached CRS management with its proposal. Management forwarded the request to the Library’s Office of Workforce Management, who interviewed the employees’ supervisors.  Based on those interviews, the Library concluded that only one of the ASAs were performing duties that would exclude them from the bargaining unit.

As a result of being in the bargaining unit, these employees are protected by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, have access to the grievance process, and can ask for CREA support in addressing any concerns they may have regarding their working conditions, including any disagreements they may have with management. Three of the ASAs have already joined the union, adding their voice to CREA’s efforts.

With regard to the eighth ASA, the Library agreed with CRS’ initial exclusion. Upon further consultation, CREA has requested that the Library re-evaluate its findings regarding this employee.

Welcome to our new bargaining unit members and our new CREA members.