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09/08/09
Communique
GAO Union Continues to Negotiate with Management to Improve the PDP Pay System
The GAO Employees Organization is continuing to negotiate with
management on the issue of PDP pay raises, and we would like to share
with you where things stand at this point.
Background
GAO management notified the GAO Union earlier this year that it wanted
to change the current system for calculating PDP pay raises. This
notification presented an opportunity for the GAO Union to address what
appear to be weaknesses and inequities in the pay system for PDP
staff. Unfortunately, progress this summer was slow as we waited
for GAO management to provide some data that we requested and for GAO
management to conduct analysis of the Union's initial PDP pay
proposal. For instance, after requesting data showing how many
PDP PRG's resulted in Categories 1, 2, 3 & 4, we learned that GAO
management doesn't collect and maintain such information. Our
most recent meeting with the management bargaining team was on August
28th and we are currently waiting for GAO management to respond to a
counter proposal that we presented during the meeting.
While we can't share all of the details of ongoing negotiations, we are
able to share some principles for a negotiated PDP pay system.
These principles are based on PDP analysts' input and an analysis of the
existing system.
Union PDP Pay Principles:
1) Continue to recognize PDP development and contributions through a
system of substantial raises every six months. Many people
accepted jobs at GAO with lower starting salaries than they could have
received elsewhere based on the expectation that pay would increase
quickly. This expectation must be fulfilled.
2) Improve pay raises for employees at the lower end of the pay
range. In the current system, higher paid employees get larger
raises - when measured in dollars - than lower paid employees who do
the same work and perform equally well. This is completely the opposite
of the pay system for non-PDP employees, which attempts to narrow
differences for similarly performing employees. In the current system,
an employee making $50,000 a year who receives a Category 1 rating and
works in Zone 3 is due a raise of $3,500 after a PRG. However,
someone who earns $75,000 a year, is rated in Category 1, and works in
Zone 3 receives a raise of $4,500. This type of disparity in
raises is something that would continue under GAO management's
published proposal.
3) Eliminate the "cliff effects" that reduce equity and that are illogical.
For example, a PDP analyst (not in IT) in Zone 4 whose salary is
$59,413 would receive a raise of $4,159 for a Pay Category 1 PRG.
Someone in the same job and in the same office who makes $1 more would
receive a raise of $3,861 - or almost $300 less - for a Pay Category 1
PRG. This makes no sense and is something we are negotiating to
eliminate.
4) Continue to have a mechanism for recognizing performance. In
its pay order that went out for comment, GAO management proposed
providing the same pay for all employees who achieve at least "meets
expectations" in all competencies. Having a system that eliminates
distinctions in pay across the board has two significant weaknesses:
A) It is inconsistent with GAO's recruiting pitch
for new employees, which promises greater pay for better performance.
B) It fails to prepare analysts nearing the end of
the PDP program for their transition to the pay-for-performance system
for permanently placed employees.
Ultimately, GAO Union members will have the final say on whatever is
negotiated. All Union members will have an opportunity to vote on
whether to accept or reject a negotiated proposal.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of the PDP
Union representatives or your team or field office
representative. The PDP representatives are:
Elke Kolodinski (field-office PDP among): kolodinskie@gao.gov
Sara Olds (HQ PDP among): oldss@gao.gov
Steve Robblee (HQ and field PDP within): robblees@gao.gov
PAST COMMUNIQUES:
08/24/09: Employee Satisfaction Survey Changes; Comp Time Update
07/14/09:
Master Contract
preparations continue
06/22/09:
GAO policy on
compensatory time
06/02/09: PBC pay to be Processed Soon Using
Alternative to SRS
05/27/09:
Help Improve
GAO: Volunteer as a Union Representative on Management Initiatives
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