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And we need your help! Please contact any of the interim council members listed below with your comments, questions, suggestions and thoughts. You may also send your comments directly to ICquestions@ifpte.org.

• On Friday, December 14, GAO management briefed the Interim Council on its proposal for 2008 annual pay adjustments. This proposal would:
• Enact a 3.0% across-the-board annual adjustment for all employees that earn at least a "meets expectations" performance rating, subject to all existing speed bumps, pay caps, and limits.
• "Update" all salary caps, speed bumps, and adjustments by the same 3.0%.
• Propose a performance based compensation (PBC) budget factor of 2.5% (for an employee earning at least "meets expectations") subject to all existing caps, speed bumps.
• Apply PBC 100% to base salary (rather than bonus) up to the caps and speed bumps.
• Be contingent on Congress passing a budget GAO management found "adequate."

• The Union is now entitled, by law, to negotiate the terms of this agreement. Both the Union and GAO management have committed to working expeditiously and in good faith to ensure all pay adjustments are processed in a timely manner, retroactive to the first pay period.

• Our next steps:
• The IC has held a few meetings to begin forming their new governance to best ensure all are represented and that our negotiation is most productive.
• We are drafting an information request seeking the information and data needed (such as budget figures, data on ranges of performance ratings, let us know your suggestions for information you think we need to obtain!) to evaluate management's proposal and formulate a union response.
• It is anticipated that negotiations will commence on Friday December 21, 2007 and continue during the week of January 1, 2008. The Venerable attorney hired by GAO to participate in the negotiation will not be available the week of December 24.

Thank you so much for all the thoughts, information, assistance and energy you've already supplied

We are most grateful and excited to be working on your behalf.

Management's Pay Adjustment Proposal

Attached is the GAO Pay Proposal for 2008.