NTEU filed an election petition to add professional employees who telework full-time outside of the Washington D.C. headquarters area into its bargaining unit. NTEU negotiated the right for EPA employees to telework full-time from outside the commuting area in its 2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement. When NTEU 280 members started taking advantage of this right and full-time teleworking from locations outside of D.C., EPA removed them from NTEU’s current bargaining unit because NTEU’s certification of the unit included employees “employed by and located at Headquarters.” The Regional Director found that employees teleworking from outside DC—who had until recently been part of NTEU’s bargaining unit—constituted an appropriate unit, and ordered that an election be held.

The full-time remote teleworkers voted unanimously to be included in NTEU 280’s bargaining unit and they have now officially rejoined. We are thrilled to welcome these employees back to NTEU Chapter 280.