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GENERAL FAQs

1) What’s the purpose of a union at the GAO?

2) Why did the employees at the GAO form a union?

3) Who runs our union?

4) Do I have to join?

5) What is the cost?

6) Why should I get involved?

7) Will our union be involved in partisan politics?
1) What’s the purpose of a union at the GAO?
  a. The purpose of our Union is to create democracy within the workplace. The basic concept of a union stems from the idea that individuals who come together in a democratic process to resolve issues within their work environment will be more effective than if each person tried on their own with management.

b. In the case with our union at GAO, we are using negotiation and mediation as a tool to work with management to resolve issues we feel are important and that will improve our work environment, as well as the reputation of GAO.
2) Why did the employees at the GAO form a union?
  a. Many people would agree that dividing the Band II analysts in 2005 into two groups, effectively demoting a good number of the staff, was a key factor in the creation of a union at GAO. However, the underlying issue was that staff perceived that management was not listening to or addressing their concerns and issues. For example, GAO hired an outside firm before the Band II split to compare the work we do with those in private organizations. However, GAO refused to share the methodology with employees, CRS, and even Congress, claiming it was proprietary. When employees raised concerns, Congress held a hearing to force management to release the data. Several experts, including those at CRS, reviewed the data and found major flaws in the methodology [PDF] (see pp. 13-17).

b. As analysts at GAO, we are tasked with ensuring that federal agencies are held accountable to the public. It’s only natural for us to expect the same from our management. Since creating our union, employee and management now work together to resolve issues through negotiations and open dialogue.

c. With our union, we can help make GAO a better place. Together, we can help to ensure that our union addresses our issues and works with management to improve our workplace and the agency.
3) Who runs our union?
  a. Our union is run by GAO employees elected by their colleagues who are members of the union; no outside or third party runs our union. Click here for a list of all elected union officials.

b. As laid out in our Constitution [PDF], our governing body is comprised of Officers and Assembly Delegates.

i. Officers are responsible for running the daily activities of the union and include the President, Vice President (Grievance & Dispute Resolution), Vice President (Field), Treasurer and Secretary.

ii. Assembly Delegates are like members of Congress: they are responsible for creating and approving internal union policies, as well as serving as direct links of access for members to our union. There are 35 Delegates seats that represent each Team and Field Office, PDP staff, Band I Analysts, Communication Analysts, and the following diversity groups: African American; Asian American; Hispanic; employees with disabilities; employee age 40 or greater; and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender employees.
4) Do I have to join?
  a. No. Union membership among federal agencies is voluntary. However, a union’s bargaining position is only as strong as its membership. The more members and perspectives we represent, the stronger our democracy and ability to make improvements at GAO. Conversely, low membership levels put us in a less favorable bargaining position – and non-members will still be subject to what we negotiate.
5) What is the cost?
  For bargaining unit members who choose to join the union, the dues structure is 0.3% of salary. To calculate the amount you would pay per pay period, multiply your salary by 0.3 percent (0.003), then divide by 26. The table below includes 3 examples.  As you can see, for most members, dues will likely be less than the price of a gym membership at HQ.

Example of Annual Salary

Dues Per Pay Period

$60,207.55

$6.95

$94,287.89

$10.88

$109,918.17

$12.68
6) Why should I get involved?
  a. GAO’s mission is to hold our government accountable to its citizens. We make recommendations to assist other agencies. Similarly, GAO analysts can hold GAO accountable to ensure that it can become a model agency and we can recommend ways to help the agency achieve this goal. As analysts, we are trained to ask questions, think critically, and evaluate decisions and policies. It is only natural for us to apply these skills to GAO, and with our union we now have legal authority to negotiate with management and evaluate any changes to GAO policies.

b. Working together, our union can help improve the quality of life here at GAO by building a partnership with management. To ensure our concerns are heard, we need to include as many perspectives as possible from staff to ensure we are identifying issues of most importance to staff and clarifying our priorities. In addition, a successful union will encourage the best and the brightest of us to run as leaders of our union, ensuring that we have quality leadership.

c. More importantly, a union’s bargaining position is only as strong as its membership, and the more members and perspectives we represent, the stronger our voice and ability to affect improvements at GAO. Conversely, low membership levels put the union in a less favorable bargaining position – and non-members will still be subject to what we negotiate!
7) Will our union be involved in partisan politics?
  a. No. Our union will maintain political neutrality. We have an agreement with IFPTE that our union will not be involved in any political endorsements or activities. The union at our sister agency, Congressional Research Service, has a similar agreement with IFPTE.

b. Union dues cannot legally go towards political contributions. Most unions, like IFPTE, have a Political Action Committee (PAC) to which union members voluntarily contribute. These monies are separate from union dues payments.