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BAND TOGETHER
COMMUNIQUÉ
DECEMBER 26, 2007
UNION NOTICES
- GAO Management and Union Bargaining Committees Hold First
Negotiation Meeting
- GAO Bargaining Unit and Management 2008 Pay Negotiation
Teams
- Contacting Interim Council Representatives
- DISCLAIMER
GAO Management and Union Bargaining Committees Hold First
Negotiation Meetings
The negotiating committee, elected by the Interim Council, and
GAO management met for the first time on Friday, December 21.
The meeting was cordial and indicated efforts by both sides to
work together to ensure that all staff receive annual pay
adjustments expeditiously.
Friday's meeting began with an agreement by both parties that
the negotiated agreement on 2008 salary adjustments reached in
the negotiations will be applied retroactively to the first pay
period of the year. This is a marked improvement from last year
when we did not receive six weeks of pay adjustment.
The meeting served largely as a chance for the Interim Council's
Negotiating Committee to:
Acknowledge the limited scope of these negotiations -- the
2008 annual pay adjustments, with the understanding that the
parties would address concerns with the underlying compensation
system in subsequent negotiations that could be concluded and
implemented in time for the 2008 ratings cycle and 2009 annual
adjustments.
Lay out some basic short term concerns with the 2008 pay
adjustment proposal, namely, the compounded erosion of GAO
salaries, compared with executive branch salary adjustments,
including the effect of salary caps, speed bumps, and zone vs.
locality pay, on our pay adjustments.
Request data needed to evaluate management's pay proposal,
and determine an appropriate response. The Union made clear its
interest in ensuring that positions taken by the union are based
on sound and relevant information. This data request includes,
for example, information on the distribution of percentage pay
adjustments by band levels, numbers of staff in the bargaining
unit who might not receive all of the across the board or PBC,
the costs related to paying annual adjustments under varying
scenarios, including how much it would cost GAO to give pay
raises at varying across the board percentages. We also asked
for information that would help us understand the basis for
comparisons that GAO uses with executive branch pay
increases.
No specific counterproposals will be made by the Union
until 1) feedback is obtained from bargaining unit members and
2) we receive the data we requested, something management
committed to work with us to obtain. Further, any tentative
agreement reached with management will be subject to
ratification by vote of the entire bargaining unit, all of
you.
Our negotiating committee requested that our data request be
fulfilled by January 3; management indicated willingness to
begin work immediately pending available key personnel but
indicated they did not think they would be able to make this
deadline given the holiday period. Union and management
representatives will collaborate on the most efficient way to
make the requested data available in a timely manner.
It is also important to note that while management's initial
proposal was contingent on receiving an adequate budget, the
Omnibus Appropriation passed this week and appears "adequate" to
management, according to their stated positions. The Omnibus
Appropriation also raised the executive branch (GS) annual
across-the-board pay adjustments 1% above what was expected at
the time of GAO management's initial proposal, further
highlighting the gap between our salaries and those of the
executive branch.
We were pleased with the cordial tone of our meetings, and
management's expressed willingness to cooperate in providing
requested data. Members of the union Interim Council and
bargaining committee members will be available throughout the
holiday period and will report any new developments as they
arise. Attached to this message are the names and email
addresses of Union Interim Council members, including those who
were elected to the bargaining committee. Please contact them,
and/or ICquestions@ifpte.org with comments, information,
suggestions, or questions.
GAO Bargaining Unit and Management 2008 Pay Negotiation
Teams
GAO Bargaining Unit Negotiation Team
Members of the Interim Council elected the following Council
members to represent the bargaining unit in 2008 pay negotiation
discussions with management.
- Alfonso Garcia (Diversity-Hispanic, DCM, Norfolk Field
Office)
- Ron La Due Lake (ARM, Headquarters)
- Chris Langford (PDP, Headquarters)
- Carolyn McGowan (HQ Staff Office, Headquarters)
- Dan Meyer (EWIS, Chicago Field Office)
- Jonathan Tumin (HSJ, Headquarters)
- Julia Clark (General Counsel, IFPTE)
Alternates: Leo Acosta (alternate field office), Lise Levie
(alternate HQ) and Robert Kershaw (alternate)
GAO Management Negotiation Team
Six individuals were appointed to represent management in pay
negotiation discussions.
- Joan Hollenbach, GAO Managing Associate General Counsel for
Legal Services
- Barbara Simball, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Services,
General Counsel
- Margaret Braley, GAO Director, HCO Performance and
Compensation Management
- George Strader, GAO Controller/Deputy Chief Financial
Officer in GAO's Controller and Administrative Services Office
(CASO).
- Eric Adams, GAO newly hired Director of Labor Relations
- Robert G. (Bob) Ames, Partner with the law firm of Venable
LLP
Contacting Interim Council Representatives
Please email questions and comments to your Interim Council
Representatives and/or to ICquestions@gaoanalysts.org.
DISCLAIMER - Communications that are not sent
directly from the IFPTE or the Interim Council, or
communications posted anonymously on the Web, do not represent
the views of IFPTE or the official position of the collective
members of the GAO bargaining unit.
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