Video Message on PBC Pay Negotiations from Ron La Due Lake, ARM methodologist and GAO Union President
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PDP Pay Agreement Ratified by Membership
The GAO Union membership ratified the recent PDP Pay Agreement by a 90%
margin, after voting closed at 8 p.m. EST on February 9, 2010.
The Union notified GAO management of the result on Wednesday morning to
facilitate GAO's implementation of the PDP pay agreement. The agreement
went into effect for the current pay period, which began on February 14.
GAO Union and GAO Management Begin Master Contract Negotiations
GAO Union and management negotiating teams successfully concluded our
first planned two-week session of negotiations for the collective
bargaining agreement this past week. The teams are using an
“interest-based process” (as explained in a
prior Communique ) and so negotiations began with the teams
sharing their interests on all topics that will be covered by the
contract. The teams then jointly developed the language for the
Preamble, which sets out the values and approach that will define the
relationship between members of the bargaining unit and GAO management
going forward. The teams also worked on articles on the topics of
Recognition and Coverage,
Precedence of Law, and
Employee, Union, and Management rights.
These topics are typically covered in Collective Bargaining
agreements. Although GAO Union and management teams have signed
off on several articles as complete at present, it is possible that
these articles may be changed as a result of decisions made in
developing later articles. The negotiations and text of the
agreement must remain confidential until the Union and management teams
are ready to submit the agreement for a vote by Union members and GAO
legal review. We will continue to provide updates on the progress
of negotiations in coming weeks. There are four additional
two-week bargaining sessions planned, with one week in between sessions
for preparation. The final session is currently scheduled to end
the last week in April.
Members of the Union bargaining team are very pleased with the progress
made in this first session, and look forward to working collaboratively
with the management team in future sessions. --Contributed by Jenny Chanley, ARM representative and Bargaining Team Member
TurboTax Discount through Union Plus
Union
Plus, which offers benefits to IFPTE Union members, is currently
offering a discount on Turbo Tax software. Union members save
10%-15% when using Union Plus Turbo Tax to prepare and file federal and
state income tax returns online or with a personal computer. See this Union Plus Web site for details.--Contributed by Casey Brown, Denver Member
