GAO Union Draft Constitution Available
for Your Input
August
6, 2008
The draft GAO Union Constitution outline
is now available for bargaining unit members’ review and
input. We would
like to request your input on the draft Constitution outline
prior to voting on it.
To seek your input, we will be holding multiple listening
sessions in August in both the field and headquarters. You can download the draft
Constitution outline and slides
for the listening sessions.
Our Union Constitution will define the
leadership and operation of our Union. Because our Union is a democratic
organization guided by the will of its members, we need a
Constitution to formally define how our Union makes decisions. The Constitution will
define how we elect representatives for office, their number and
roles, and how they will work together. It will also establish
procedures for dealing with conflicts, determining
organizational priorities and providing our Union’s services. It should be
noted, however, that a Constitution does not define all the
specific operations and workings of a Union, and only defines general principles
and structures. Bylaws created based on the final Constitution
will clarify the most specific
operations.
The draft Constitution outline provided for your comment
represents a framework, and in many cases includes several
options for moving forward. The draft defines options for the
following elements:
- a preamble to serve as our Union’s mission
statement;
- two types of union
membership;
- an Assembly for collecting input from across the agency
(large and small models);
- five Executive Officers for the efficient transaction of
union business;
- two core committees; and
- procedures for elections, amendments, and removal from
office.
The Constitution Committee will
incorporate your input for the final proposal. We will incorporate your
input in our decision-making processes as we revise and finalize
the draft Constitution.
After debate among the Interim Council on the outstanding
issues and options, the council will pass and propose a final
version of the Constitution, which the Interim Council will send
out for your ratification vote. Once our final Constitution is approved by
the bargaining unit, we will begin elections for the
constitutionally-defined union
leadership.
Please give us feedback on the draft Constitution
outline. Join us
for listening sessions on the Constitution. Lunchtime listening
sessions will be held at noon on Thursday, August 14 and Thursday,
August 28 in Headquarters room 2T59, with field office sessions
to be announced soon.
We will schedule additional listening sessions if
needed. If you have
comments, questions or concerns, please contact your Interim
Council representative or contact the Constitution Committee
through Stephen Ulrich at ulrichs@gao.gov.
The Constitution Committee has been
working since January to prepare a draft Constitution. We reviewed the
constitutions of other union locals. We consulted with union experts. We drafted proposals for
review by the Interim Council and received their input. We identified areas of
particular concern for input by you, the Bargaining Unit
members.
Thank you for your time and attention, and for helping to
guide our Union’s
future.
