BAND TOGETHER
COMMUNIQUÉ

October 20, 2008

Union Notices 

Interim Collective Bargaining Agreement and Union Constitution Ratification Vote

The Importance of a Large, Strong, and Diverse Union Membership

Last Brown Bag on Membership and Other Issues

How Do I Join the Union?

Will I be negatively impacted if I decide to join our union?

Union’s Official Address for Confidential Mail

Interim Collective Bargaining Agreement and Union Constitution Ratification Vote

As reported in previous Communiqués, the Union Interim Council has voted to recommend both the interim collective bargaining agreement and the union constitution to the bargaining unit for ratification.  The proposed interim agreement and union constitution, Questions and Answers document on the proposed constitution, and a legal opinion on the use of diversity seats in the Assembly can be found at the GAO Union website at http://www.gaoanalysts.org.

The ratification vote on the Interim Agreement and the Constitution has begun and will conclude TOMORROW (Tuesday, October 21st) at 8 P.M. As in the past, voting is being conducted electronically, with support from the IFPTE. All members of the bargaining unit, whether or not they have joined the union, are eligible to participate in the ratification vote.  You should have received an email message from IFPTE on Wednesday, October 15th, with voting instructions.  The subject of the October 15th email message was, “[UNION] Ratification Vote for Interim Agreement and GAO Union Constitution.”  

The ballot will contain two questions, as follows:

"Do you vote to ratify the Interim Agreement?"  [Yes or No]

"Do you vote to ratify the Union Constitution?"  [Yes or No]

If you have not received or cannot locate the ballot, please contact Todd D. Anderson, Chair, Elections Committee, at andersonTD@gao.gov, or John Forester, Elections Committee Member, at forresterj@gao.gov.  They will work with you in either finding the message with the ballot or forwarding a replacement ballot to you.   

If the Constitution is approved, the election of officers and the Assembly will occur in the coming months, but only those who have joined the union are eligible to vote in those elections.  Nominations for the officer positions will occur in November, with the officer election occurring in December; the election for Assembly positions will occur sometime in January 2009. The actual dates will be subject to the approval of the Interim Council.

If you have any questions about the upcoming votes, please contact Todd D. Anderson, at the email address above or 202-512-3666.

The Importance of a Large, Strong, and Diverse Union Membership

The GAO Union is a democratic organization, which allows employees to “band together” in an effort to create balance within the GAO structure to ensure that the voice of the employees is heard.  One of the major reasons for a union is to ensure that no one person or group of people bears the entire burden of ensuring that the voice of employees is heard.  For this reason, a strong membership is vital to the success of the GAO Union.  With a large, strong, and diverse membership the GAO Union will have a better opportunity to have a positive impact on matters that are vitally important to all employees. 

Last Brown Bag on Membership and Other Issues

If you haven't joined our Union, now is the time to get information pertaining to membership in the Union.  While all may vote in this week's ratification vote, only those who choose to become members will be able to vote or run for officer and representative positions within the Union.

This week, we are holding the last brown-bag on membership and other related union questions.  This session will be held on:

• October 22, 2008 at 12:00 to 1:00PM - HQ Room 4950B  

Field staff can participate by calling the following number: 1-866-285-7778 (passcode 9164844).

How Do I Join the Union?

To join the Union, just fill out a membership form and give the form to an Interim Council representative.  You can also email the membership form to gaounionmembership@ifpte.org. If you chose to have dues deducted automatically, you need to fill out an additional form (GAO Form 676), which you can email to Workforcerelations@gao.gov or give to an Interim Council representative.  Field office staff can email or pouch the dues deduction form to Workforce Relations or give to an Interim Council representative. Information on the membership application and payment options and applicable forms are available on the GAO Union website at http://www.gaoanalysts.org.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact Chris Langford (langfordc@gao.gov or 202-512-6535), Chair of the Membership Committee.

Will I be negatively impacted if I decide to join our union?

No. Union involvement is not a career stopper.  Matters of fact, several Interim Council Representatives were promoted during their tenure.  We work in a professional environment and the likelihood of a manager retaliating against an employee is unlikely and against the law.  Although the chances are slim, if this did occur the Union can take action on behalf of the employee.  Furthermore, the Union has had a very positive impact on employee-management relations and continues to work diligently with GAO Management to improve the workplace for all GAO employees.   

Union’s Official Address for Confidential Mail 

Did you know that you can mail items to the union without going through GAO?  The union now has a U.S. Post Office box for anyone who wants to be sure of confidentiality when sending mail to the union—for example, checks for payment of union dues.  Please send mail to the following address:

GAO Employees Organization

P.O. Box 50236

Washington, DC  20091-0236

If you are sending in checks, please also put “Attention: Treasurer” on the envelope.

Please Give Us Your Feedback and Contributions

The Communications Committee would like your feedback regarding articles you'd like to see, questions you'd like answered, or any other suggestions!  Please send your feedback to Charlie Willson (willsonc@gao.gov).  If you would like the next Communiqué to include a Union-related announcement or the time and place of a Union-related meeting, please forward the information to Lise Levie (leviel@gao.gov) by 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 23, to be considered for next week's Communiqué.

Union Contacts

If you have questions or comments, or need assistance from the Union, please email your Interim Council Representative.  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.

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.