Union pushes for more telework at Justice agency

The Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a federal employee union are embroiled in a dispute over a new work-away-from-the-office policy, with the union pushing for a much more expansive program than the agency allegedly is willing to offer.

The bureau and the National Treasury Employees Union have been negotiating for more than a year over a telework program to replace a still-existing pilot agreed to five years ago. The dispute is now before the Federal Service Impasses Panel, and NTEU claims that the bureau has forced the cancellation of at least one scheduled meeting with the panel.

An ATF spokeswoman said she cannot discuss the matter because of the ongoing dispute.

According to NTEU, the bureau's final proposal for a new policy designates only the position of management and program analyst, held by nine people, as eligible for telework on a part-time basis. There are more than 800 employees represented in the negotiations.

The union's proposal designates that position, as well as 14 others, as eligible. Investigators and auditors, who spend a large percentage of their time in the field, would be designated as eligible for full-time telework under the union plan, and could work from home at their own discretion.

"ATF's proposal is a disgrace," said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. "NTEU will continue to fight ATF's brazen attempt to place its employees in an inferior position when compared to other public and private sector employees who telework."

Kelley said many bureau employees are commuting more than three hours daily. Without greater flexibility to telework, she added, certain employees scheduled to move this year from Washington, D.C., and Atlanta to West Virginia will have to decide whether to relocate or resign.

"They have not presented us with any logical or rational reasons as to why these employees cannot telework," Kelley said. "The reasons for allowing telework are compounded for the agency, and it is in their interest to do it."

Rita Mace Walston, general manager of the federally sponsored Telework Consortium, a Herndon, Va.-based nonprofit that works to popularize the work arrangement, said she is baffled by the bureau's refusal to designate more employees as telework-eligible.

"Not implementing a telework program is very shortsighted," Walston said. "Our research has found that telework increases productivity, reduces cost and allows employees to meet challenges with the flexibility that is not available to organizations tied to a physical location."

Citing the General Services Administration's recently released guidelines on federal telework, Walston said the bureau's refusal to implement a strong telework program puts at risk its plan for continuing operations during an emergency preventing employees from commuting, such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Language in the fiscal 2006 State-Justice-Commerce appropriations bill (H.R. 2862), signed by President Bush late last year, requires five agencies, including the Justice Department, to increase the number of employees who work away from the office from the previous fiscal year or lose out on $5 million in appropriations each.

The number of federal employees working away from their offices has grown steadily over the years, with some agencies embracing the concept in order to save money on office space and others to prevent employees from leaving because of an office relocation.