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Washington D.C. —In anticipation of tomorrow’s vote on expanding telework in the federal government, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley sent letters to members of the House of Representatives asking them to act quickly and pass legislation that would increase productivity, save money for taxpayers and allow the government to continue operating in emergencies.

“The benefits of telework were clear during the government shutdown due to snow earlier this year where teleworking federal employees were able to continue working, saving the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by avoiding lost productivity,” Kelley said. “Even in the normal course of work, telework brings about increased productivity due to uninterrupted time for federal employees to plan work, reduces tension levels by eliminating difficult commutes, and improves the quality of life due to time saved not commuting.”

The Telework Improvements Act, H.R. 1722, sponsored by Reps. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.), provides valuable training for teleworking and requires the Office of Personnel Management to develop a government-wide policy for working off-site. An NTEU-supported companion bill was passed by the Senate in May.

“The benefits are not just to the employee and the employer,” Kelley said. “There is a fiscal and social dimension as well. Telework saves federal, state and local taxpayers energy and infrastructure costs, improves air quality, reduces congestion and stress on roads and bridges, and enhances the quality of family life.”

The vote on the House bill comes after a survey of federal employees revealed that only 10 percent said they telework at least one day per week, while more than 23 percent said they could telework, but are simply not allowed to by management. NTEU has been a vocal advocate for expanding telework programs, and has pushed agencies to develop well-defined programs with eligibility guidelines through the collective bargaining process and provide clear support from management.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.