Congressional Research Employees Association

CREA and CRS management are negotiating a congressionally mandated telework policy. In its FY2010 CRS appropriation, the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Legislative Branch included language instructing the Director to “adopt and implement…a telework program modeled on the Library’s existing system.” The Subcommittee expected that CRS should have its new telework policy in effect no later than January 1, 2010.

On October 14, 2009, approximately four months after the bill was reported, CRS management presented its initial proposal to CREA. After negotiating over a 15-day period, including three exchanges of proposals and counterproposals, CREA and CRS management called in a federal mediator. CREA and CRS met with the mediator on December 9 and 10. Additional meetings are scheduled for December 16, 17, and 18. If the mediator determines that the two sides have reached an impasse, the matter will be forwarded to the Federal Service Impasses Panel.

A number of important differences are evident at this point in negotiations; these include the following.

1. CRS has proposed that an employee may request to work from home on a regular basis up to 1 day each week in a pay period. That day would be fixed. An employee may not request a different day, if  the employee is asked, or the employee decides, to come to the Library for work-related reasons on his/her regularly scheduled telework day .

CREA is seeking a more flexible program. CREA has proposed that employees be permitted to request a change in their scheduled telework day for work-related reasons. CREA also has proposed an additional option that would allow employees to occasionally request to work from home when appropriate for such reasons as weather or when a doctor’s appointment makes commuting back and forth to the Library impractical. CREA also favors the possibility for staff in certain jobs to telework up to 2 days each week in a pay period. 

2. The CRS proposal does not allow an employee to telework and participate in compflex.  CREA proposes employees on compflex be allowed to telework.

3. The CRS proposal does not allow an employee to grieve a decision that denies, suspends, or terminates a telework arrangement. CREA proposes that such decisions be grievable.

The purpose of the current mediation is to try to get the parties to move closer together and avoid the step of calling in the Federal Service Impasse Panel.

CREA is committed to resolving these issues in mediation, in time to meet the Subcommittee’s deadline. It is also committed to bargaining for a flexible program that maximizes service to Congress while helping balance home-life demands.

CREA is also committed to ensuring that future changes to the conditions and policies governing telework be negotiated.

CREA will keep the bargaining unit informed about telework negotiation with postings on this website. Please feel free to send comments to the CREA office through the website or via e-mail (crea@crs.loc.gov).