Reardon Urges OPM to Authorize Emergency Leave Transfer Program

In a letter sent last week, National President Tony Reardon asked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to seek direction from the president to establish an Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP) for employees adversely affected by the pandemic and to delegate to agencies the authority to establish their own programs. The program would allow employees to donate annual leave to their colleagues who need additional paid time off from work to balance family responsibilities during the pandemic.

“Many federal employees represented by NTEU are experiencing extreme difficulty managing childcare and other family care responsibilities during this pandemic," said Reardon. He added that flexible work schedules are insufficient for parents of school-aged children who must pick up the educational slack while working full time. "[T]here simply aren’t enough hours in the day to do so," Reardon said. "That means they must use accrued annual leave."

In March, the president declared COVID-19 a national emergency. OPM has exercised its authority to authorize ELTPs during other declared national emergencies in the past, including hurricanes.