GAO Employees Organization Working
with Performance Appraisal Study Team
The GAO Employees Organization has been invited to
participate as a stakeholder in the implementation of the study
to evaluate the current Performance Management Appraisal
system. To provide
input on this effort, the Interim Council created a working
group comprised of Barbara Gannon, DCM, Nancy Zearfoss, PI, and
Scott Borre, ATL.
Nancy and Scott have been designated as the IC
representatives responsible for attending stakeholder meetings
for the Union. The
first full meeting of the stakeholders for the study occurred on
Thursday, May 29th. For the initial data collection phase, the
planned approach is to use focus groups to document employee
perceptions of the performance appraisal system and develop
recommendations for improvements. After the focus groups are held, the results
will be used to develop a questionnaire that will be
administered to all employees. Most importantly, the study team has
indicated that management is open to considering all
alternatives, including eliminating the current system in
exchange for something new. More details about the study and the role of
the GAO Employees Organization will be in next week’s
Communiqué.
Senior Analyst Promotion
Opportunities through
USAJOBS
USAJOBS currently includes announcements for GAO senior
analyst positions.
GAO management posted the external announcements in
response to concerns raised by the Interim Council. According to GAO
management, analysts that had been or would be converted from
temporary to permanent status by the effective date of the
current internal promotion cycle, were not eligible to apply if
they had not served 90 days in permanent status (see May 27,
2008 Communiqué).
We are pleased that the affected analysts now have the
opportunity to currently apply for senior analyst
promotion. In
addition, because the announcement is open to the public, any
other GAO analysts may also apply. According to GAO management, persons who
apply through USAJOBS will be considered for the same positions
identified in the internal promotion Cycle II announcement of
May 12, with the same effective promotion date of July 6,
2008.
Note that the deadline for applying for some of the
positions, listed by team, is as soon as June 12. See the GAO intranet
notices posting, GAO Vacancy Announcements Available on GAO
Careers/USA Jobs , for more
information.
Interim Council
Vacancies
The Interim Council of the GAO Employees Organization
currently has two council member vacancies. Carolyn McGowan, the
Interim Council member representing HQ Staff Office Analysts,
has resigned from GAO to accept a position with the Capitol
Police. Her
position must be filled by an analyst at HQ who is not attached
to a specific team.
Mark Ryan, the Interim Council member representing PDP
staff, has resigned to allow time for other pressing
priorities. This
vacancy needs to be filled by a PDPer, either at HQ or in the
field. If you are
interested in being a member of the Interim Council and are in
the PDP program or are an analyst in HQ not attached to a
specific team, please contact Nancy Zearfoss, PI, for more
details.
Understanding Our
Union
After receiving positive feedback on the grievance
article in our June 4, 2008 Communiqué, the
Communications Committee plans whenever possible to add articles
that help all of us better understand our union. This week we cover the
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
(IFPTE), which is a national labor organization that represents
over a 100 local unions, with more than 75,000 men and women in
professional, technical, administrative and associated
occupations, such as NASA engineers, Administrative law judges
at SSA and Immigration Administrative Law Judges at Justice, and
many other private and public sector locals.
Our union at GAO, along with our sister agency’s
union at Congressional Research Services affiliated with
IFPTE. IFPTE's
structure promotes self-managing and volunteer-driven affiliate
unions, which is one of the main appeals GAO employees have
expressed with affiliating with IFPTE. In addition, the experience IFPTE has had
with CRS’s union has given them the understanding of our
absolute need and commitment to non-partisanship. For many other unions,
their national union collects and retains the vast majority of
membership dues revenues, provides nearly all representational
services, and facilitates less self-governance. IFPTE only charges a per
capita tax of $6.85 per member per month which is less than half
that charged by other major unions representing federal
employees. These
funds are used to help organizing new unions (like ours at GAO)
and provide technical and legal services.
From the beginning of our union campaign, IFPTE has stood
behind us and helped us every step of the way. They assisted us getting
word out about the benefits of a democratic workplace during the
organizing drive, provided guidance and legal information for a
number of issues, and played a crucial role in winning our 2008
pay raise. They
have continued to fund our operations and provide extensive
legal and technical assistance without charge as we go through
the process of developing a strong and viable organization. In the future, IFPTE
will continue to offer its expertise to our union as we develop
by providing legal and technical information when we negotiate
with management a master contract, handle grievances, and
working with Congress over the GAO Reform Act and future GAO
appropriations.
Interim
Union Dues Proposed -
REVISITED
After extensive research and debate, the
Interim Council recently proposed an interim dues
structure of 0.3 percent (three-tenths of one
percent) of Union members' annual salary. The proposed interim
dues will be put up for a vote of all bargaining unit members
after the 4th of July.
- If the interim dues are ratified, they
will be temporary. Once we ratify our Union Constitution, there
will be a more thorough review of our income and expenses to
determine a permanent dues
structure.
- Please note that your vote to ratify the
dues does NOT make you a member of our union
nor oblige you to pay dues. If this interim
dues structure is ratified by a majority of those who vote,
employees wishing to become dues-paying members of our Union
will need to fill out a membership
card.
- These dues will allow GAO’s Union
to start covering its own expenses, such as insurance and legal
services, that other IFPTE locals have been funding for the past
two years.
In the coming weeks, more detailed
information will be provided – as well as brown bag
sessions – to allow you to make an informed decision about
the benefits and responsibilities of union membership and union
dues.
Election Committee Volunteers
Needed
The IC encourages you to apply for one of 5 positions on
the Election Committee, one of which is reserved for field
office staff. Your help on this very important committee
will ensure that the elections for our union are run both
efficiently and fairly. The first election responsibilities will
include the referendum on ratifying the dues structure and
approving the Constitution. Please submit your nomination,
together with a short statement on why you would like to serve
to Sonja Bensen (Bensens@gao.gov) and to Lise Levie at
(Leviel@gao.gov) from Tuesday, June 10th to Wednesday June 18th
at 8:00 EST. Please contact either person for additional
information about the committee's responsibilities and the
selection process.
Voter Education Subcommittee
Volunteers
Needed
In the next several weeks, the Union
will approach another critical phase in GAO's Union organizing
process. During this time, members of the bargaining unit
will be discussing and voting on vital issues, including our
initial dues structure and our first-ever Union
constitution.
To disseminate the information needed by
each bargaining unit voter, the Union needs volunteers for the
Voter Education Subcommittee. This is a new subcommittee
whose tasks will include:
· becoming informed about the details of the proposed
Union interim dues structure and constitution,
· identifying information for voters in the bargaining
unit to make informed decisions about upcoming votes,
· identifying strategies on how to effectively inform
voters so that they can make an informed choice, and
· developing educational
materials.
This subcommittee will focus on
disseminating information on the Union dues proposal and
constitution. If you are interested in participating
please contact Lise Levie, EWIS or Lee Carroll,
DNV.
We Want
Your Feedback
The Communications Committee would like
your feedback regarding articles you'd like to see, questions
you’d like answered, or any other suggestions. Do you have
a question or concern that you think others in the bargaining
unit might share? Do you have a perspective on Union-management
relations that you think might provide insight to others in the
bargaining unit? Do you have an idea for a regular column? Do
you know someone who should be receiving the newsletter, but
isn’t? This
type of feedback will help to make the newsletter relevant and
keep us from becoming just another “Delete” item in
your mailbox!
Please send your comments to Lesia Mandzia, HC or Charlie
Willson, EWIS.
Call for
Communiqué
Contributions
If you are scheduling a meeting or have
an announcement that would be of interest to the bargaining
unit, please forward the information to Lesia Mandzia, HC or
Lise Levie, EWIS by 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 12th, for
inclusion in the next edition of the
Communiqué.
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.
Members of the bargaining unit are
welcome to observe Interim Council meetings, either in person or
by phone. In
addition, members are invited to submit or share thoughts at the
beginning of the meeting. Please contact your representative or
another member of the IC for more details, including the call-in
number for those who cannot attend in person. The Interim
Council meets each Wednesday at 3:30 PM ET in room
2T59.
