GAO Employees
Consider Union Options
By AP from NYTimes on
the Web, May 8, 2007
WASHINGTON, May. 7 -- Some of
the people at the Government Accountability Office think it's a good time to try
to organize a union at the investigative arm of Congress now that it's being run
by Democrats.
GAO analysts and the International Federation of Professional and Technical
Engineers plan to present hundreds of cards requesting a union vote for 1,500
analysts and investigators to agency officials on Tuesday.
Gay Hee Lee, a senior health care analyst as GAO, said a union would ensure the
workers become part of the decision-making process at the watchdog agency.
''It's something that we often recommend to other agencies, for all stakeholders
to be involved. We're stakeholders in GAO,'' she said.
More than half of the 1,500 GAO analysts signed cards asking for a vote on
becoming a local of the AFL-CIO-affiliated union. Union officials say a vote
could happen in the next 45 days.
The IFPTE already represents NASA and Defense Department scientists and
engineers, as well as workers at the Congressional Research Service, another
legislative branch agency.
Comptroller General David Walker, head of the GAO, said he would have no comment
until after a union petition is filed and reviewed by his agency.
''Let me assure you that we are prepared to fully support a timely election
process if the union meets the related requirements for a vote,'' Walker wrote
in a February letter to Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md.
While the union campaign at GAO began last year, the Democrats' takeover of
Congress helped, said Paul Shearon, the union's secretary-treasurer.
''GAO is an important government agency, and it can set an example for other
institutions of government and industry,'' said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a civil
rights movement veteran. ''It can demonstrate that the empowerment of
employees can benefit the well-being of any organization as a whole.''
Some GAO analysts have complained about Walker's decision to move the agency
away from the federal personnel structure and give more account to market salary
rates and job performance when determining pay. The change meant some employees
did not receive a raise for 2007.
Walker acknowledged the switch caused problems. ''Obviously, reforms that
affect an employee's pay and job classification tend to be particularly
controversial,'' he said in an earlier statement.
But GAO recently ranked second in a ''Best Place to Work in the Federal
Government'' survey. The survey was done by the Partnership for Public
Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy
Implementation.
On the Net: Government Accountability Office:
http://www.gao.gov
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers:
http://www.ifpte.org/
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