The Office of Personnel Management is asking federal agencies to specify in written agreements with employees who telework that such employees are required to work during emergencies that cause federal offices to close.

Speaking at a recent news briefing on the federal government's dismissal and closure procedures for the upcoming winter season, Jerry Mikowicz, deputy associate director for pay and leave at OPM, said the largest group of current federal teleworkers are "telework-ready" but not covered by a written telework agreement. OPM aims to fix that by requiring teleworkers to sign agreements specifying that they will work during emergencies, he said.

Mikowicz acknowledged that for some agencies, making such changes will require bargaining with federal employee unions during contract negotiations or, in some cases, reopening union contracts.

"When we talked to the unions, we found understanding" for the position that being permitted to work from home also brings responsibility for teleworking during weather and other emergencies that cause federal office closures, he said.

OPM is not expecting uniform telework agreements for all agencies, Mikowicz said. Federal agencies have a variety of missions and workforces, and OPM expects that different agencies and unions will handle telework agreements based on their unique circumstances, he said.

Mikowicz added that OPM's policy is that federal employees who are not able to telework due to power outages or other valid emergency-related circumstances should be excused from the requirement that they telework. But the bottom line for most federal employees who telework is that a snow day in the near future may be just another day at the (home) office.

In other public sector news:

•  Federal employees will have strengthened whistleblower protections under legislation (S. 743) signed into law by President Obama.

•  The chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee expressed frustration during a hearing over what he described as the inability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to respond in a timely and comprehensive manner to congressional information requests regarding VA's conference spending.

•  Most state and local government employees would be permitted to run for partisan political office without violating the Hatch Act under legislation (S. 2170) approved by the Senate.

•  A top state official said the administration of Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) would not extend its expired contracts with Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a largely symbolic move that the official said was caused by the union's failure to bargain in a constructive manner during a period of financial crisis for the state.