Congressional Research Employees Association

 
As you’ve probably heard, on March 26 your CREA negotiation team reached an agreement with CRS on our new telework policy. The team worked hard to make the final agreement flexible for staff and won several crucial improvements.

If CRS hadn’t been required to negotiate with CREA, we would now be governed by the policy implemented in January for non-bargaining unit, non-supervisory staff. Here are some major changes between that policy and the one CREA negotiated for you.

1. Compflex. The original proposal explicitly stated that those who are on compressed work week schedules would not be allowed to telework. The negotiated agreement explicitly states that staff on Compflex are allowed to participate.

2. Substitute days. The original proposal stated that if you were required for work reasons to come onsite on your telework day, you were not allowed to substitute another day; in other words, you lost it. The negotiated agreement allows for substitute telework days.

3. Grievability. The original proposal included no recourse for any denial of telework. The negotiated policy allows grievances for violations of the agreement.

4. Expanded number of days. The original proposal didn’t include any potential for expansion. In the negotiated agreement, a pilot program will be initiated after six months for employees who have less face-to-face contact with Congress to telework up to two days per week.

5. Limited reasons for denial. In the original proposal, the list of reasons an employee could be denied telework was open-ended, which effectively meant that an employee could be denied for any reason. In the negotiated agreement, the factors are limited to an agreed-upon list of criteria.

6. Reapplying with new supervisor. In the original proposal, all teleworking employees were required to reapply when they got a new supervisor, which happens with some frequency in some divisions. That requirement was deleted in the negotiated agreement.

7. No unilateral termination. The original proposal included language that made it possible for the Director to unilaterally decide that telework was not consistent with the needs of the Service, potentially resulting in no opportunities for any staff to telework. That language was removed.

We hope that these are changes that make a difference to you.

CREA laid the groundwork for these negotiations by pushing for a viable telework agreement for over 10 years, both in testimony before the budget committee and in meetings with Members and staff on the oversight and appropriations committees. The new policy is a culmination of that effort.

If you’re not a member yet, please consider joining. You can see for yourself the difference union bargaining power makes in an agreement like this. We made a difference on this issue, and we’ll continue working to make one in the future. We can do it even better if you’re along.