06/22/09 Communique

Union officers met with GAO management this week to address the growing toll on analysts when they must work long hours and weekends to meet timeframes. As a result, GAO management is clarifying with the Managing Directors today that GAO’s Comp Time policy is in place and should be used. MDs will be expecting to approve Form 535s today for employees who must work this weekend – or on any other occasion they’re asked to work outside of regular working hours. This is particularly important for our colleagues who are working on the economic stimulus legislation (ARRA) or the bailout (TARP) oversight for Congress—two vital issues on which GAO analysts have been demonstrating sustained excellence in serving the immediate needs of Congress and the American people. The GAO Union is dedicated to supporting GAO analysts as they perform this important work.

If work demands require you to work outside of regular working hours:

•Get GAO Form 535 ("Request, Authorization, and Report of Overtime, Revised 8/04")
•Complete fields 1, 1c, 1d, 1f, 1g, and 1h.
•In field 1e, write in “Comp Time.”
•Then, get the form to your home team MD as soon as possible for their signature in fields 1i and 1j.

According to existing GAO policy, Comp time may not be earned unless approved in advance (section 1 of Form 535). After the work outside of regular hours is completed, the employee and supervisor then complete section 2.

GAO has told the Union that no employee working on the economic stimulus legislation, ARRA, will be asked or directed to work on July 3 or 4, the upcoming holiday weekend. This is the result of the Union's discussions with GAO management.

Overview of Existing GAO Comp Time Policy

According to existing GAO policy, comp time is available to employees in lieu of overtime pay when asked or directed to work outside of regular business hours (unlike credit hours, which are limited to a maximum cap of 24 hours, and are the vehicle for earning time for additional hours worked within regular working hours, 6 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Friday). The existing GAO Order for Comp Time is being updated to reflect recent changes in federal regulation. The revised order hasn’t been posted to the intranet yet, but here are the key elements of the policy:

•There is no cap to the amount of Comp Time that an employee can earn;

•Comp Time is to be used within 26 pay periods of when it is earned and must be used before annual leave is taken;

•After 26 pay periods, any comp time that has not been used will be paid to the employee at the overtime rate of pay in effect during the pay period in which it was earned;

•Comp time must be approved in advance using Form 535.

The Union will continue to work with management to make sure that any employee who must work outside of regular working hours has access to Comp time through their management, and to simplify the current, confusing Form 535 process. In the meantime, be sure to complete section 1 in advance of the overtime in order to be eligible to get comp time, writing “Comp time” in field 1e. Then, complete section 2 with your supervisor after the overtime hours are worked and deliver the signed form to your time and attendance contact in the Human Capital office. GAO is working with the MDs and management to make sure the logistics of completing the form are well understood.

Don’t Forfeit Your Annual Leave

Some employees are concerned that the demands of the oversight work will prevent them from using their annual leave and result in forfeiting their leave at the end of the year. The Union has also raised this issue with GAO. Unfortunately, existing GAO policy requires that employees must schedule their annual leave and seek approval before it can be restored. GAO management is emphasizing to the MDs today that all annual leave should be approved and used by employees if at all possible. It is very important, particularly if you may have use or lose leave hours, for you to schedule your annual leave and get it approved soon. If management subsequently cancels annual leave that has been requested and approved, it will be possible for you to restore that leave rather than forfeit it. The audit trail of scheduling annual leave and getting it approved is required in order to subsequently get it restored.

The Union will continue to address workload issues with management and support GAO analysts as we continue to serve the needs of Congress and the public during the current economic crisis. Meanwhile, we will be following this closely to assure that anyone who must work outside of regular working hours to meet timelines is able to get Comp time approved in advance. Additionally, if you are discouraged from claiming credit hours for additional work within regular working hours, please contact your union representative. If you have any questions or problems with these credit hour or comp time policies, please contact Lise Levie (HQ), Dan Meyer (Chicago), or Ron La Due Lake (HQ).

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