WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH OUR UNION?
Q&A on the GAO Union by New Staff
Fellow PDP and Newer Staff,

As newer staff and your PDP Interim Council Union Representatives, we understand that some of you are wondering what’s the deal with the GAO Union. When most of us started two or three years ago, we were thinking the same thing. Analysts at that time were in the process of calling for a vote to create a union and there was no easily accessible source of information about why the union was needed. While serving as your PDP representatives over the last year, we have learned a great deal from our peers about their concerns, as well as their hopes in making GAO a better place to work. We want to take this time to share with you some of the major questions regarding our union we have heard.

In addition to answering your questions, we hope the information below will encourage you to make an investment in the future of GAO. By working together through this democratic process, we can help shape the future of the GAO and our union. However, this ability all depends on newer staff becoming members of our union.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. What is a union?

2. What is the bargaining unit? Is that the same as a union member?

3. What is IFPTE?

4. What is Local 1921?

5. How is our union different from other unions?

6. Who currently runs our union?

7. Why did a majority of the analysts vote to form a union at GAO?

8. Have PDP been involved with the union?

9. Is the purpose of the union to protect low performers?

10. Is the current Interim Council made up of disgruntled employees?

11. What issues has the union addressed for PDP and newer staff?

12. What issues have PDP expressed an interest in resolving or improving here at GAO?

13. Will I be negatively impacted if I decide to join our union?

14. I’m in a field office and everyone seems to be afraid to talk about our union – what’s going on?

15. If I join, do I have to be active?

16. How much will dues cost?

17. Where are we now with our union?

18. How do I become a member of our union?
1. What is a Union?
  • If a colleague told you that a group of employees were getting together to approach management to resolve a certain issue and they would like your involvement, most of us would probably get involved, especially if we believed in the issue. A union is the same concept, but unfortunately some associate a stigma with the word “union.”

• 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. In the case with our union here at GAO, we are using negotiation and meditation 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. What is the bargaining unit? Is that the same as a union member?
  • Bargaining unit refers to all employees in a given work setting who have union representation. For GAO, the bargaining unit encompasses all analysts (PDP, Band I, IIA, and IIB), which includes, but are not limited to: accountants, communications analysts, economists, methodologists, specialists, and statisticians.

• Union members are individuals within the bargaining unit who choose to be a member of their union. As union members, you have the ability to guide the union by voting, working on committees, and holding elected office. Follow this link for details to sign up; it’s easy.
   
3. What is IFPTE?
  • The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) is a national union representing more than 75,000 professional, technical, administrative and associated occupations. The employees at GAO decided to seek their assistance and expertise in organizing a union here at GAO for two reasons. First, IFPTE represents our sister agency’s union, Congressional Research Service (CRS), and therefore understands our special needs for political independence in working with Congress. Second, IFPTE believes their Locals should manage their own affairs, which was ideal given our need for autonomy as auditors.

• IFPTE not only helped provide resources and funds during our organizing stage, such as providing attorneys and telecommunication services, they also helped guide us through the complexity of starting and running our own union and negotiating with management.
4. What is Local 1921?
  • GAO Employees Organization, IFPTE Local 1921 is our union’s official name. Specifically, Local 1921 is our official designation with the Department of Labor and the IRS. GAO was created in 1921, so we chose 1921 as our designation number to celebrate our admiration for GAO and its mission to the public.
5. How is our union different from other unions?
  • We are unusual compared to other federal and private sector unions. First, due to the nature of our work, we insist on accountability and transparency not only from management, but also from our elected GAO union leaders. Second, our union will not participate in partisan politics, nor will our union dues go toward such activities. Third, while we receive some legal counsel and other advice and support from IFPTE, we are expected to be a very independent local union. Our members will have control over the future of our union, including during negotiations with management.
6. Who currently runs our union?
  • An Interim Council of 38 GAO analysts run our Union until a permanent governing body is established. After a majority of analysts voted to form a union in September 2007, we voted in our Interim Council of fellow analysts two months later to address a number of immediate issues (e.g., 2008 pay negotiations) while working on developing a Constitution. The Interim Council Representatives are analysts, and therefore have to balance their normal work obligations with their union duties. Currently, we have 5 PDP representatives, 11 field representatives, 13 headquarters team representatives, 1 Band I representative, 1 Communication Analyst representative, and 7 diversity representatives. You can find a list of these representatives here.

• Elections for the next governing body that will replace the Interim Council are tentatively planned for November 2008. The next governing body structure will be laid out within our Constitution, which will be up for ratification by a vote of the full bargaining unit in mid-October. In the current version of our Constitution, we have three PDP Assembly-Council Representatives that will represent PDP Among, Field, and Within (PDP who rotated within in a team) staff. We need leaders, so if you are interested in running, please contact Chris Langford, one of the PDP Interim Council Representatives, so he can explain all the details.
7. Why did a majority of the analysts vote to form a union at GAO?
  • Most people would agree that dividing the Band II analysts in 2005 into two groups, effectively demoting a large percentage of the staff, was the final straw toward the creation of a union here at GAO, but the underlying issue was that management was not listening to the concerns and issues of its employees. For example, GAO hired an outside firm before the Band II split to compare the work we do to those in private organizations, but GAO refused to share the methodology with employees, CRS, and even Congress, claiming it was proprietary. It became such an issue that 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 page 13-17)

• 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 relations have actually improved – now we are able to work with management face-to-face to resolve issues through negotiations and open dialogue.

• How we got a union is not as important as what we can do with it to make GAO a better place. This is why PDP and newer staff involvement is so important! Together we can ensure our union addresses our issues and works with management on long-term changes.
8. Have PDP been involved with the union?
  • Yes! There have been a number of PDP and newer staff involved with our union, even during the organizing stage. As you already know, the five of us are your PDP Interim Council Representatives, and four of us have held this office since 2007. Furthermore, three of us hold leadership positions as chairs of the Constitution Committee, Grievance Committee, and the Membership Committee. It should also be noted that Chris Langford, one of the PDP Interim Council Representatives, headed up the development of our union’s dues structure which was ratified by the bargaining unit in July 2008.

• Besides serving on the Interim Council, a number of PDP and newer staff have helped out with various committees, membership, union education, social events, and even helped with organizing our union. This is why our union has been successful so far.
9. Is the purpose of the union to protect low performers?
  • Our union can play an important role in improving communication issues between managers and employees, regardless of their ratings, and ensuring that each employee is treated with dignity and respect, and is given their due process rights. For example, the Union can ensure management resolves mistakes they have made with pay or promotion opportunities, as well as ensure all sides of a particular issue are taken into consideration before judgment is passed. These issues could affect any employee, and in fact, the PDP Interim Council Representatives have worked to resolve a number of issues for mostly high performing PDP staff.

• Our union will not necessarily support the efforts of every employee who files a grievance, but will instead consider the circumstances and merits of each case. These decisions are delegated to a responsible union committee that is accountable to the union membership for their decisions. That’s another reason why your membership is so important!
10. Is the current Interim Council made up of disgruntled employees?
  • Several PDP and newer staff have expressed concerns that unions in general are started and run by disgruntled employees. Though we cannot speak for the whole labor movement, during our tenure in our Interim Council we have seen nothing but dedicated individuals putting in a lot of their own personal time to make GAO a better place. More importantly, we believe the Interim Council’s actions speak louder than our words. In all of the dialogue and negotiations our union has held with management, we have always stayed professional and balanced by not demanding or requesting unreasonable changes. Ask Gene Dodaro or anyone on GAO’s Executive Council.

• In our experience, individuals not happy with the status quo usually are the focal points for positive change. Further, there have been a range of employees involved in the union, including many who were designated as IIB’s or are identified by management as high performers. Above all else, our union as a whole has been extremely professional and positive when it comes to expressing our concerns and carrying out negotiations with management, and with other employees. Please do not let one or two individuals, or your view of unions in the media, deter you from joining our colleagues in ensuring our union stays true to its mission of keeping management accountable to all of the employees here at GAO.
11. What issues has the union addressed for PDP and newer staff?
  • There have been a number of issues that PDP and newer staff have brought to our attention. In some cases we were able to work with management to resolve the issue, for others we worked to raise the awareness of management to ensure these issues do not occur again. Here are several notable examples:

i. Several PDP were hired under a non-competitive hiring authority, and some did not learn of this fact until they were told they could not apply for early promotion and had to wait 90 days after completing the PDP program, which delayed their ability to be promoted. Our union was able to bring this fact to light, and management admitted they incorrectly used this authority and will ensure that communications are clearer in the unlikely event that they would use this authority in the future. We were also able to work with management to find a solution to give these PDP the ability to apply for promotion with their peers.

ii. We found that the Human Capital Office had incorrectly evaluated someone’s prior work experience when considering their offer for employment, so the analyst was hired at a lower wage than her experience merited. We were able to work with management to resolve this issue, but we also saw an area were we might want to negotiate or work with management to create a review process for official offers for employment to ensure this does not happen to others.

iii. Numerous newer staff have reported to us they were told they could not take advantage of tele-working, part-time work, or Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) because they were PDP. There is no rule in GAO Orders that states PDP are not allowed to use these benefits. With our union, we can work with management to ensure supervisors are properly trained, and that reasonable work accommodations are taken into consideration.
12. What issues have PDP expressed an interest in resolving or improving here at GAO?
  • Here are some issues PDP and newer staff have expressed an interest in resolving or implementing here at GAO:

i. Ensuring official offers for employment clearly state the details of the Professional Development Program (i.e., roles, expectations, rotations, etc.), how the student loan payment program works, and a checklist showing which prior experiences qualify for a higher starting salary and early promotion.

ii. Have GAO internships count as experience that can go toward a higher starting salary and early promotion.

iii. Setup a 360 feedback system so PDPers can anonymously provide constructive feedback on their supervisors (AIC, AD, and Director) after each rotation.

iv. Ensure a uniformity of standards and criteria for PDP and Band I ratings and promotions to ensure that “Best Qualified” and promotion decisions are based on consistent standards and reflect the ability of staff to lead jobs at the IIA level.

v. Change GAO Order 2432.1 to allow PDP to have the same protections and considerations when it comes to their PRG with regard to medical considerations.

vi. Develop a PDP advocate program within our union. Several PDP have expressed concern after learning that their PDP advisors, though very helpful, were not their advocates during disputes with their PRG ratings and with supervisors. PDP advisors are part of management and have little or no authority to address issues with supervisors.

vii. Ensure transparency in rotations and permanent placements. We have heard repeatedly from PDP their disappointment in being hired with the promise to work in a certain issues area and then not being allowed to do so for one reason or another.
13. Will I be negatively impacted if I decide to join our union?
  • No. Union leadership is not a career stopper, and one PDP Interim Council Representative was promoted in the last year. We work in a professional environment and the likelihood of a manager retaliating against an employee for simply getting involved with their union is extremely unlikely. If they do, you have protection since it’s against the law.

• One of the major reasons for a union is to ensure that no one has to bear the entire burden. We are “banding together” to create a balance within the GAO structure to ensure that the voice of the employees is heard. This is why membership is so important; with more numbers we can gain a stronger voice.

• If you are afraid to join your union for fear that your AIC, AD, or Director will find out, you probably need a union more than others. GAO is a great place to work; NO ONE should live in fear of retaliation just for being involved in our union, especially given our union has had a very positive impact on employee-management relations.
14. I’m in a field office and everyone seems to be afraid to talk about our union – what’s going on?
  • Unfortunately a number of field staff have expressed this concern. Field office staff concerns may stem from the five field office closings in November 2000 – Kansas City, Portland, Raleigh, Sacramento, and St. Louis – that affected about four percent of GAO's workforce. Since then, some managers in the field have indicated to employees that their office might also close if they complain and don’t give positive marks on the employee feedback survey. The union solved part of this issue by reaching agreement with management not to ask for field office identification on this year’s employee survey. The other issue seems to be, because field offices tend to be small in number, everyone knows everyone and it’s harder to keep your involvement or membership in the union a secret.

• Because of the sensitivity in field offices, the Interim Council was set up to ensure all the field offices have a representative – a model which is maintained in the current version of our Constitution up for ratification in mid-October. Further, if enough members join, we hope to use our dues to fund a couple of trips to certain field locations to encourage openness and dialogue about our union. You can help your field office see that the union does not have to arouse fear, by talking with colleagues about their views and concerns regarding the union. More importantly, do not be afraid to call one of us, especially PDP Interim Council Representative Stephen Ulrich who is in Chicago.
15. If I join, do I have to be active?
  • No. Not everyone is going to want to take on an active role, so you can be a dues-paying union member, while even keeping your union membership confidential. However, the simple act of voting as a member helps contribute immensely in letting your elect union leaders know where you stand, as well as GAO management. If you choose to become active, you might be surprised by the leadership and communication skills you will develop. It may give managers a chance to see how you handle yourself in negotiations, for example.
16. How much will dues cost?
  • We have an interim dues structure of 0.3% of salary, which will apply to the salaries of bargaining unit members who choose to join the Union after our Constitution is ratified Mid-October. To calculate the amount you would pay per pay period, take your salary and multiply it by 0.3 percent (0.003), then divide by 26. Here is a table with some examples:

Examples

Annual Salaries

Dues/Pay Period

Starting Salary

$40,850.00

$4.71

Mean PDP Salary

$61,582.74

$7.11

Mean Band I Salary

$70,207.55

$8.10

Mean Band IIA Salary

$94,287.89

$10.88

Mean Band IIB Salary

$109,918.17

$12.68

High End Salary

$149,000.00

$17.19

• Your dues will likely be less than the price of the gym membership at HQ.
17. Where are we now with our union?
  • Membership Drive: We started a membership drive and we need all of you to get on board to help us ensure our union stays focused on newer staff issues and concerns. We also need new PDP leaders to serve in the next governing body of our union. To join, all you need to do is fill out a union membership application form and drop it off with any interim council representative, or email to gaounionmembership@ifpte.org. The membership application and other details can be found here. If you have any other questions about membership, please attend one or more of the brown-bag listening sessions below. Field staff can participate in any session by calling the following number: 1-866-285-7778 (passcode 9164844)

i. October 7, 2008 at 12:00 to 1:00PM - HQ Room 5T63

ii. October 22, 2008 at 12:00 to 1:00PM - HQ Room 4950B

iii. November 3, 2008 at 12:00 to 1:00PM - HQ Room 2T59

• Constitution Vote: In mid-October all bargaining unit employees (whether you join the union or not) will have an opportunity to vote to ratify the Constitution we helped develop with the rest of the Interim Council. Once our Constitution is ratified, only union members will have a voice in our union. This means only members will be able to run for office, nominate candidates, vote for candidates, work on committees, and vote to ratify the master contract agreement with management and internal union policies (e.g., amending the Constitution). In the current version, we have three PDP Assembly-Council Representatives that will represent PDP Among, Field, and Within staff.

• Interim Agreement Vote: All bargaining unit employees will also have an opportunity to approve our "Interim Agreement" with management, which will be on the same ballot as the Constitution in mid-October. The Interim Agreement will govern the terms and conditions of work until we have a longer-term "Master Contract." Below are some highlights that might interest PDP/newer staff. Please note that two of the PDP Interim Council Representatives were on the bargaining committee during the Interim Agreement negotiations with management.

i. Union Representation: Employees will have the ability to request a meeting with their supervisor and a union representative after receiving feedback on their rating or to discuss a major accommodation, such as medical leave. For example, let’s say you received “role-model” ratings in your first two rotations and on your third rotation your team gives you a “meets” or “below” without fully explaining why. You now have the ability to request a follow-up meeting with your supervisor and a union representative of your choosing. This meeting not only allows you to have another pair of ears in the room, but also helps you resolve the issue in a timely, professional manner. Some PDP/newer staff might find this example extreme, but you would be surprised at the number of high performers who have dealt with this issue.

ii. Arbitration: Though very few employees filed grievances at GAO, if someone does file we have now worked with management to add an independent arbitrator who can make a fair and reasonable determination regarding the issue at hand. In turn, this will encourage our union and management to work more closely to resolve issues before they get to that level, but it will also make sure each party has strong support to present to the arbitrator thereby decreasing the likelihood of frivolous grievances.
18. How do I become a member of our union?
  • To become a member, all you need to do is fill out a union membership application and select your dues payment option.

• After filling out and signing your application, please return this application to a union representative, or scan into a PDF and email to gaounionmembership@ifpte.org.

• We strongly recommend the automatic dues deduction option since it will be less work for both you and our Treasurer given it is more accurate. If you choose to enroll in the automatic dues deduction system, you will need to fill out GAO 676 form, which can be found in the above link. That form can be returned to a union representative, email to Workforce Relations [WorkforceRelations@GAO.GOV], or pouched to Workforce Relations at HQ.

• For a detailed explanation of payment options, please read our Interim Membership Guidelines document, which can be found here.
In summary, we have been extremely impressed with the dedication and hard work all the Interim Council Representatives and volunteers have put into improving GAO. We encourage you, as new staff, to become members in order to make sure that your voice is heard. As with any democratic organization, if you’re not engaged, someone else will speak on your behalf. View your union as an insurance policy: things might be going well for you now, but having a strong union – and a voice in that union – provides insurance in case things change in the future. You can also consider your union membership as an investment in GAO’s future – to ensure it maintains its reputation as one of the top places to work in the federal government.

In Solidarity,

Chris Langford, EWIS HQ
Ethan Iczkovitz, IT HQ
Stephen Ulrich, HC Chicago
Heather Rasmussen, FMA HQ
John Bumgarner, DCM Norfolk