• Membership Committee Update

• Band I Representative Nominations are Due April 22, 8PM ET

• New Representative Selected for Los Angeles Field Office

• Interim Council Meetings to Be Open to Bargaining Unit Members

• Correction:  Status of H.R. 5683

• Union Contacts

• Get Active Action Center – Give the IFPTE Feedback

• DISCLAIMER

Membership Committee Update

The Membership Committee is working hard to organize an official union membership drive and to come up with an appropriate and fair dues amount. The amount of dues to be charged will need to be ratified by the whole bargaining unit.  Once a dues amount has been ratified, an official membership drive can begin. 

Why is membership important? 

Voting for union representation at GAO was just the first step towards establishing a working union.  Union membership is not automatic, regardless of how you voted during the election process, and everyone will be given the opportunity to choose whether or not to become a voting member of the union.  Once the Interim Council completes the work of drafting a Constitution, the Constitution must then be ratified by the entire bargaining unit.  After that, only those who choose to become members of the union and pay dues will be able to participate in key union activities.  For example, only members can run and vote for permanent council seats, participate and vote in union committees, or provide feedback during negotiations over our master contract. 

Why do we have to charge dues? 

In order to pay for the services the union plans to provide - such as mediation and arbitration, as well as legal support during negotiations with management - we need to charge a small amount of dues. Please note that none of our dues will go toward political activities in order to ensure our independence and ability to serve Congress. 

Band I Representative Nominations Are Due April 22, 8PM ET

The Interim Council is currently accepting nominations from Band I (non-PDP) bargaining unit members who are interested in filling the vacancy for a Band I Council Representative.  As indicated in the Special Election Notice sent to bargaining unit members last Thursday, April 17, the deadline for nominations is Tuesday, April 22, 2008 8:00PM (EDT).   If you are a Band I (non-PDP) who is interested in putting in your name forward as a nominee, but did not receive a notice by email, please contact Chris Langford at (202) 512-6535.

Please note that we are only accepting self nominations.  If more than one nomination is received, the timeline for determining who will be the next representative, as specified in the April 17^th Notice, will be implemented and the new representative will be seated at the Interim Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 30^th.  If only one nomination is received, this nominee will become the new Band I representative, and will begin work at the next Interim Council meeting on Wednesday, April 23.

New Representative Selected for Los Angeles Field Office

We are happy to welcome Tim Fairbanks as the new Los Angeles Interim Council Representative.  He replaces Matthew Sakrekoff, the previous Los Angeles Interim Council Representative who will be leaving GAO soon.  We want to wish Mr. Sakrekoff good luck and to thank him for his service to the Interim Council.

Interim Council Meetings to Be Open to Bargaining Unit Members

The members of the Interim Council invite members of the bargaining unit to observe official meetings of the full council.  Please contact your Interim Council representative for details.  The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 23 at 3:30 PM ET in room 2T59.

Correction:  Status of H.R. 5683

The April 11, 2008 Band Together Communiqué "On the Hill" update incorrectly stated that the House had completed mark-up on H.R. 5683, Government Accountability Office Act of 2008.  The bill was marked up by the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia on April 3^rd, and forwarded to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for consideration.  We regret the error and will keep you posted of further developments.

Union Contacts

If you have questions or comments, or need assistance from the union, please email your Interim Council representative (listed below).  You can also send questions and comments to ICquestions@gaoanalysts.org.

Get Active Action Center - Give the IFPTE Feedback

As we get more volunteers, we have better ideas. To assist Analysts in advancing their rights and representation within GAO, IFPTE has developed an advocacy tool to allow Analysts to provide feedback to the union. GAO Analysts are encouraged to sign up for the Action Center if they haven't already done so at www.unionvoice.org/gaoanalysts/home.html.