The National Treasury Employees Union, the largest independent federal union, wants Congress to OK more “telework” jobs.

Telework means employees work from home instead of the office, using technology like phone, fax, e-mail and video connections to keep in touch with colleagues.

H.R. 3221, an energy bill sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), would require all federal agencies to establish a written telework policy and stick to it.

As part of a hearing on the bill, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce heard from an NTEU member and Patent and Trademark Office employee who regularly teleworks under a program negotiated between the union and the agency. More than 85 percent of trademark attorneys participate in telework, according to the union.

NTEU also has contractual telework agreements with several other agencies, including the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which employs more than 850 people in Southern Arizona.

Telework not only benefits the agency and its employees, but also the economy and the environment, the union says. “Telework can bring about increased productivity due to uninterrupted time for employees to plan work, reduce tension levels by eliminating difficult commutes and improve quality of life due to time saved not commuting,” the union president said. “That, in turn, improves employees’ overall quality of life.”