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Washington, D.C.—Approval by Congress of legislation providing federal employees with compensatory time off for the time spent in business travel outside their normal work schedules is an important victory both for federal workers and agencies, the head of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees said today.

The compensatory time provision is contained in S. 129, legislation dealing with federal employment policy issues. It is expected to be signed into law by the president.

“While overdue, this is a very important step forward in helping government agencies be as effective as possible in the continuing competition with the private sector for high-quality workers,” President Kelley said. “It’s a good program not only for employees—allowing them much more flexibility in balancing their work and personal lives—but for their agencies as well,” she added.

Under present law, federal workers traveling outside their normal working hours can only be compensated for that travel time in extremely limited circumstances. This can result in adverse consequences for the agency.

For example, an employee with an out-of-town government business meeting early in the day would have to travel the previous afternoon rather than the morning of the meeting, in order to travel during business hours. In that instance, the government incurs lodging and per diem costs that could have been avoided by the employee traveling early on the day of the meeting.

S. 129 permits federal employees who travel on their own time and outside their normal working hours to receive compensatory time for official travel. The earned time cannot be converted to a monetary payment, nor does the provision apply to normal commuting.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.