GAO Analysts adopt Statement of Purpose
Statement of Purpose and Reasons for Forming a Union
GAO analysts are forming an employee union, as permitted by the GAO Personnel Act 31 U.S.C § 732 (e), to help GAO become a model agency.
• GAO analysts conduct complex analyses of programs at other federal agencies on behalf of Congress and the American taxpayer; yet, we have little voice in the internal operations of our own agency. By forming a union, we will gain rights, resources, and a strong voice that we have not had in the past. Through our union we will apply the analytical skills that we use in our reviews of other federal agencies to help increase our own agency's efficiency, effectiveness, and morale.
• In recent years, GAO requested and received authority from Congress to further separate GAO personnel policies from those of the Executive Branch, stating that it sought to introduce innovative policies to serve as models for other federal agencies. In this effort, GAO revised its pay-for-performance system and changed employee classifications. Although GAO has reviewed other agencies' personnel systems, changes to GAO's own system have not been similarly scrutinized, and GAO management has no independent confirmation that its changes have been successful. GAO analysts want a voice to express our views about these policies before other agencies adopt them.
• Some of GAO's recent personnel policy changes fail to meet fundamental “model agency” principles. GAO management's limited regard for concerns about these changes expressed by individual employees and the Employee Advisory Council convinced us that we need a union with bargaining rights and legal support to strengthen our influence on GAO's internal operations.
The following examples further illustrate why we need a union to help GAO become a model agency:
• Transparent Decision-Making: GAO management has refused to share with staff essential information, such as the study underpinning the recent employee reclassification. By forming a union, GAO analysts will gain the right to obtain the data management uses for making decisions on personnel policies before those decisions are implemented. This transparency will help us shine a light on potential problems and identify effective solutions.
• Reliable Data for Significant Decisions: GAO's performance appraisal system relies on supervisors' subjective judgments, produces disparities in the ratings of different racial groups, and is not suited for drawing fine distinctions among staff or for classifying staff, but GAO management used appraisal data for these purposes. Our union will work to ensure that, for personnel decisions, GAO will apply the same high standards for data quality that it uses for its reviews of other agencies, and we will work to develop a fair and credible performance appraisal system.
• Policies that Support Teamwork: GAO's reclassification of staff added a layer to GAO's hierarchy, increased pressure for competition, and reduced flexibility in staffing GAO reviews. The PAB General Counsel challenged the reclassification, in a legal proceeding with far-reaching implications for the current performance management system. Our union will strive for policies consistent with GAO's team approach to conducting our work--policies that encourage cooperation, recognize each team member's contributions, and facilitate an efficient and effective staffing process.
In sum, our Union will bring to bear the collective analytical skills of the GAO staff to help create and implement personnel policy and work rules that not only serve the interests of employees, management, and Congress but also serve the public interest by making GAO a model employer that positively influences overall federal personnel policy. |
