Congressional Research Employees Association

On January 19, 2010, the Director announced a telework program for non-bargaining-unit, non-supervisory staff. These are employees not covered by CREA’s contract.

This program is the same as the program proposed to CREA in October. Then and now, CREA considers the program more restrictive than necessary. Our bargaining team is still negotiating to develop a better program (for details, see telework update of December 12 at http://creaunion.org/2009/12/14/telework-negotiation-update-crea-in-mediation-with-crs-management/).

Among the changes we are working to include are the following.

1. The ability to grieve inappropriate denials of telework.
2. The ability to participate in telework while on a compflex schedule.
3. The ability to request a substitute telework day if required to report to the Library on your regularly scheduled telework day
4. When appropriate, the ability to telework up to two days per week.
5. The assurance that the Director cannot make any changes to the program without negotiating them.

None of these are included in the program announced by the Director for non-bargaining-unit employees.

While progress has been made in negotiating, certain important issues remain; CREA and CRS met with a mediator during December and January. Three more sessions have been scheduled in early February. If we cannot resolve our differences, the mediator will declare impasse and the matter will be forwarded to the Federal Service Impasses Panel for a final determination.

The negotiating team and CREA’s Board of Governors remain committed to resolving the outstanding differences quickly and providing CRS bargaining unit members with a model telework program.