January 26, 2009
New Look for the Communiqué!
As you know, the Union Communiqué has been keeping you informed since before the Union was ratified in September 2007. But to keep things fresh, we have revamped the Communiqué to be easier to read and a better resource for your convenience. If you have any other suggestions about how to improve the Communiqué, please contact Lee Carroll, Union Secretary, at (carrolll@gao.gov or 303-572-7313).
January 26, 2009
Self-Nominations begin January 28 for Union Assembly
Do you have ideas about how to improve our all-volunteer Union? Would you like to grow your skills in networking, negotiation, policy formation, or strategic planning? Here is your chance to take a direct role by nominating yourself as a, as a Union Assembly representative.
To nominate yourself, please write a short statement to indicate why you are interested and email Elections Committee Chair Todd Anderson at (AndersonTD@GAO.GOV). Your statement of interest will be published in a “Voter’s Guide” that will be sent out to all Union members.
January 26, 2009
Join by January 30 to Vote in Elections for Union Assembly
Make your voice heard and help select your team or field location representative to the Union Assembly —or nominate yourself! If you haven’t joined already, if you join by this Friday, January 30, you will be able to vote in the upcoming elections! All you have to do is turn in your membership application (available here), and either a personal check or your payroll deduction Form 676 (available here), to either your current Interim Council Team Representative or any Union Officer (see here to find out who your representative is).
Your choices in this election will determine the way in which this Union represents you for pay negotiations, changes to the performance system, and in discussions with Congress!
The schedule for the elections are as follows:
January 28th to February 3rd — Self-Nomination
Campaigning/Voter Guide — February 3rd to February 10th
February 11th to 8PM EST February 18th (8:00 EST deadline) — Voting begins
January 26, 2009
Forum: Diversity Candidates, February 10, HQ Room 5N30
Please mark your calendars: On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at HQ room 5N30, a discussion forum will be held for candidates for the six Diversity seats:
1. African Americans
2. Asian Americans
3. Employees age 40 or greater
4. Employees with disabilities
5. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) employees
6. Hispanics
VTC will also be available for this forum, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, at the following locations:
Atlanta Third VTC Room
Boston Main VTC Room
Chicago Main VTC Room
Dallas Third VTC Room
Dayton Main VTC Room
Denver Main VTC Room
Hq. VTC Room 5n30
Huntsville Main VTC Room
Los Angeles Second VTC Room
Norfolk Second VTC Room
Richland Main VTC Room
San Francisco Main VTC Room
Seattle Third VTC Room
The Elections Committee is holding this forum so that Union members can get informed about their diversity candidates. Remember—any Union member can vote for candidates for these seats!
January 15, 2009
Assembly Election Schedule; Join the Union by January 30th to Vote
Assembly Election Schedule & Information
The election for Assembly delegates will take place by online voting starting February 11, 2009, and will continue through 8 PM EST on February 18th. Here are important dates to remember:
Self-Nomination – January 28th to February 3rd
Note: we will keep a list, updated daily, of those who self-nominate by constituency at: http://www.gaoanalysts.org/HTML_Pages/AssemblyCandidates.htm
Campaigning/Voter Guide – February 3rd to February 10th
Note: candidates can officially start campaigning once they file with the Election Committee, and can continue until the voting ends. Please see our Union’s Campaign Rules for more details available at: http://www.gaoanalysts.org/Downloads/Agreements/Campaign_Rules_final_1152009.pdf
Voting – February 11th to 8PM EST February 18th
What delegate seats are available on the Assembly?
Delegates shall be elected by union members in the following units. Each delegate serves a term of two years, but for this first elected body they shall serve a term ending in November 2010.
Headquarters Teams Delegates (13) - One delegate shall be elected by each headquarters team
Field Offices Delegates (11) - One delegate shall be elected by each field office
PDP Delegates (3) - PDP Among - headquarters; PDP Among - field; PDP within (either HQ or field)
Communication Analyst Delegate (1) - One delegate shall be elected by the Communications Analysts
Band I At-large Delegate (1) – One delegate shall be elected at large to represent the interests of Band I employees not in the PDP program (at-large delegates are elected by all union members)
Diversity At-large Delegates (6) – Six delegates shall be elected at-large to represent the interests of the entire membership, with a particular focus on one of the six designated diversity groups that have historically faced discrimination in the workplace, respectively (at-large delegates are elected by all union member):
1. African Americans
2. Asian Americans
3. Employees age 40 or greater
4. Employees with disabilities
5. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) employees
6. Hispanics
What is the Assembly?
The Assembly is our Union’s legislative body, chaired by our President, which will replace the Interim Council. This body will be responsible for establishing policies for the Union, as well as setting the priorities for negotiating the master contract with GAO for our terms and conditions of work this coming year. In addition, Assembly delegates will also serve as stewards. Stewards advise and assist bargaining unit employees on matters pertaining to their rights.
Please note, if you are interested in running and have concerns about time requirements and expertise, delegates will have access to training that’s chargeable in GAO’s Time & Attendance and support (e.g., Officers, other delegates, attorneys, and volunteers). To learn more about the responsibilities of a delegate, please contact any of the Officers or current Interim Council representatives or see our Constitution here: www.gaoanalysts.org/HTML_Pages/Union_Contract.htm
Join the Union by January 30th to Vote!
ONLY current dues-paying Union members will be able to run or vote for Assembly delegates. If you have not yet joined and you would like to run or have a vote on who will represent your particular unit (e.g., team delegate or PDP delegate) please visit our website at www.gaoanalysts.org to learn how to become a member. You can also contact our Secretary, Lee Carroll, carrolll@gao.gov or Ken Stockbridge, stockbridgek@gao.gov. The deadline to join in order to run or vote for a delegate seat will be January 30th at 8PM EST.
December 18, 2008
Tentative Agreement Reached! - 2009 Annual Pay Adjustment
Our union and GAO management have come to a tentative agreement regarding our 2009 Annual Pay Adjustment! If the union membership ratifies the agreement, GAO will provide an annual adjustment to current base salary. The adjustment will be equivalent to the General Schedule total increase (including locality) for the GS locality pay area in which each field office is located and will be processed in the first pay period of 2009. These increases will be provided without regard to any salary limitation, such as salary caps or the Band IIB “speed bump.” This agreement applies to all employees, including PDP and CAPP. For example, if the Washington DC GS locality adjustment is 5.0 percent, all employees at HQ would receive a 5.0 percent increase in their base salary. If the GS locality adjustment in a field office’s area is 3.5 percent, employees in that field office will receive a 3.5 percent increase in their salary. Receiving an annual adjustment equivalent to the GS increase in the first pay period would represent a big improvement for all employees. For developmental employees in particular, many of whom have received an annual adjustment that was less than the GS locality-adjusted increase for their pay area in recent years, it is a big win.
PLEASE NOTE that the GS locality tables have not been posted by OPM yet so we cannot provide the actual increase amounts yet. Also note that the Performance Based Compensation (PBC) is separate from this Annual Pay Adjustment agreement, and will be negotiated once GAO receives a budget later this coming year. Any PBC increases negotiated will be retroactive to the 1st Pay Period of 2009 and go on top of your annual pay adjustment. For more details regarding the 2009 Annual Pay Adjustment tentative agreement, such as the salary ranges, please see the attached PDF file.
Over the past year our union has been working toward parity with our federal counterparts when it comes to cost of labor annual adjustments. This does not replace our long established performance pay system, but instead ensures we stay competitive with our federal colleagues.
Ratification Vote – Members Only
Union members will need to verify this agreement before it is official. Ratification email ballots will go out some time Friday, December 19, 2008. Voting will be open until 8:00PM EST Monday, December 29, 2008. If you will be on annual leave during this time period, please take your SecurID token home so you can log into your GAO email to cast your vote. We apologize that this ratification voting is taking place over the holidays, but to ensure the Human Capital Office has enough time to process our raises for the 1st Pay Period of 2009 they need an answer by Tuesday, December 30, 2008 that our members accept this agreement.
Q&A Listening Session and Contacts
If you would like any information or to share comments concerning this agreement please join us in room 5N30 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm Friday, December 19, 2008. For those in the field, just call 866-285-7778 (code: 9164844). If you can’t make this listening session, feel free to contact the following folks who will be in town until December 24th.
Ron La Due Lake – (202) 512-2760
Barbara Gannon – (202) 512-6238
Dan Meyer – (312) 220-7683
December 18, 2008
Results from our First Union Officer Elections
Members of our union recently voted for our first Union Officers. We would like to thank all the candidates for their dedication and interest in serving. We would also like to express our thanks to the members who took the time to vote in this democratic process.
The candidates below took office when the results were officially announced on Wednesday, December 17, 2008. If any of the new officers were serving as team or field representatives, they will continue to also serve in that role until our Assembly elections in February (see below for details). Normally, all officers serve two years, but in this first election, the terms of the Vice President for Grievance and Dispute Resolution and the Vice President for Field Operations will end November 1, 2009, and the terms of President, Treasurer, and Secretary will end November 1, 2010. This is in our Constitution, and the purpose was to stagger officer elections in the future. Finally, no member may be elected to the same office more than twice.
Election Results
President - Ronald La Due Lake, ARM HQ
Vice President of Grievance & Dispute Resolution - Lise Levie, EWIS HQ
Vice President of Field - Daniel Meyer, EWIS Chicago
Treasurer - Kristi Karls, FMA HQ
Secretary - Lee Carroll, NRE Denver
Assembly Vote
Now that our members have selected Officers, the elections for Assembly representatives will take place early next year. The Assembly elections will give members a chance to run or vote for their next team, field, or PDP representative, as well as the diversity representatives. More details will be provided in January. Only members can run and vote, so join up if you have not done so already by visiting www.gaoanalysts.org or contacting Chris Langford at (202) 512-6535.
December 18, 2008
How Do I Join the Union?
To join the Union, just fill out a membership form and give the form to an Interim Council representative. You can also email the membership form to gaounionmembership@ifpte.org. If you chose to have dues deducted automatically, you need to fill out an additional form (GAO Form 676), which you can email to Workforcerelations@gao.gov or give to an Interim Council representative. Field office staff can email or pouch the dues deduction form to Workforce Relations or give to an Interim Council representative. Information on the membership application and payment options and applicable forms are available on the GAO Union website at http://www.gaoanalysts.org. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lee Carroll (carrolll@gao.gov or 303-572-7313), Union Secretary.
Union’s Official Address for Confidential Mail
Did you know that you can mail items to the union without going through GAO? The union now has a U.S. Post Office box for anyone who wants to be sure of confidentiality when sending mail to the union—for example, checks for payment of union dues. Please send mail to the following address:
GAO Employees Organization
P.O. Box 50236
Washington, DC 20091-0236
If you are sending in checks, please also put “Attention: Treasurer” on the envelope.
Please Give Us Your Feedback and Contributions
The Communications Committee would like your feedback regarding articles you'd like to see, questions you'd like answered, or any other suggestions! Please send your feedback to Charlie Willson (willsonc@gao.gov). If you would like the next Communiqué to include a Union-related announcement or the time and place of a Union-related meeting, please forward the information to Lee Carroll (carrolll@gao.gov or 303-572-7313) by 6 p.m. ET next Thursday to be considered for next week's Communiqué.
Union Contacts
If you have questions or comments, or need assistance from the Union, please email your Interim Council Representative. You can also send questions and comments to unionquestions@ifpte.org.
Members of the bargaining unit are welcome to observe Interim Council meetings, either in person or by phone. In addition, members are invited to submit or share thoughts at the beginning of the meeting. Please contact your representative or another member of the IC for more details, including the call-in number for those who cannot attend in person.
Get Active Action Center - Give the IFPTE Feedback
As we get more volunteers, we have better ideas. To assist Analysts in advancing their rights and representation within GAO, IFPTE has developed an advocacy tool to allow Analysts to provide feedback to the Union. GAO Analysts are encouraged to sign up for the Action Center if they haven’t already done so.
DISCLAIMER - Communications that are not sent directly from the IFPTE or the GAO Union Interim Council, or communications posted anonymously on the Web, do not represent the views of IFPTE or the official position of the collective members of the GAO bargaining unit.
Visit gaoanalysts.org for more information on GAO's Analysts Union.
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