3/16/09 Communique

Selecting the new Comptroller General—Submit your comments for Congress
The GAO Union has been asked by the House oversight committees to provide input on the selection of the next Comptroller General of the United States. The GAO Union’s Legislative Committee is working with the Assembly to develop a letter outlining a set of characteristics, skills, and qualities for the U.S. Congress to consider in the selection, recommendation, and confirmation of the next CG.

The GAO Union Assembly would like to hear from you. As members of the Bargaining Unit (which includes all GAO analysts, including Union members and non-member analysts), your opinion is important about what skills and qualities should be considered in the selection of a new Comptroller General, by March 20. The Union will then develop a letter from the GAO Union President to Congress to provide information to the Hill regarding Union considerations for the new CG.

To provide your comments and input, please contact any Union Assembly Delegate representative by March 20.

Master Contract negotiations to begin soon—your help and ideas are needed
During 2009, the GAO Union and GAO management will enter into master contract negotiations for the first contract between GAO’s analyst staff and GAO management. This is a critical step, since a master contract is a formal agreement between management and labor that provides a contractual basis for the terms and conditions of work at GAO. For example, many GAO Orders will be up for consideration and negotiation between the GAO Union and GAO management as a part of the master contract discussion. During the coming weeks, the GAO Union Assembly will begin to identify and prioritize the workplace issues that are critically important to GAO analysts, so that the Union can address them in the master contract.

Join the Assembly for an Overview of Master Contract negotiations with IFPTE’s General Counsel—Meeting Wednesday, March 18, 3:30 p.m. ET, Room 2N30

The Assembly will convene an open session, this Wednesday, March 18, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 2n30. A dial-in number will also be available at 800-593-1474, code 1851670. VTC will also be available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dayton, Denver, and Norfolk. Julie Clark, the General Counsel of IFPTE, will attend the session and answer questions from the Assembly and the other GAO analysts that attend. The general goals of this session are for the Assembly to learn the basics of what a master contract negotiation process might be between the Union and GAO management. This session is open to all Union members and all GAO analysts in the Bargaining Unit.

Your participation can help improve the master contract

Over the next weeks, our volunteer-run Union will be gathering critical opinions from all GAO analysts about the terms and conditions of our employment. While the needs and opinions of all GAO analysts are important, only Union members will be able to

• work on the committees and work groups that will write the contract,

• negotiate the contract with top GAO management, and

• vote on whether to ratify the contract.

That’s why we need you to get involved with the master contract negotiations as a full GAO Union member—either as a Union member who volunteers to help craft the master contract, or simply with your vote as a Union member.

In our democratically-run Union, YOUR PARTICIPATION COUNTS!

2009 Pay Agreement Update: PBC Negotiations to begin soon
Now that GAO’s budget has been signed by President Obama on March 11, 2009, negotiations for the Performance Based Compensation (PBC) budget factor, the second part of our 2009 pay increase, will begin soon. Late last year, the GAO Union and management agreed to divide pay negotiations into two parts: (1) across the board pay increase negotiations and (2) PBC negotiations, including the budget factor, upon receiving a budget. The first part, across the board pay negotiations, were completed in early January, and resulted in an agreement that achieved parity with the across the board increases that were provided to the rest of the federal government under the General Schedule (GS) system and processed in the first pay period of 2009.

In that agreement, GAO management committed that negotiations over the budget factor would resume within six (6) weeks from the date that GAO’s 2009 budget passes. GAO also agreed that any PBC earned for 2009 would be applied retroactively to the first pay period of 2009.

PAST COMMUNIQUES:
03/02/09: GAO Employees Develop Alternative to SRS for 2009 Performance-Based Compensation
02/20/09: FMA Assembly Delegate chosen, Union Assembly Officially Takes Office
02/02/09: Management announces policy to streamline reports; Union seeks clarification and guidance on implementation
01/27/09: New Look Communique
01/16/09: Assembly Election Schedule; Join the Union by January 30th to Vote
12/17/08: Officer Election Results
12/15/08: GAO Presents Initial 2009 Pay Proposal