GAO Union and Management Reach Tentative 2009 Annual Adjustment Pay Agreement

Washington, DC - (December 19, 2008) - Tentative agreement on the 2009 annual pay adjustment has been reached between the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the GAO Employees Organization, the Union at GAO.

The agreement, which took three days of negotiations, would go into effect once it is ratified by the Union membership and formally approved by Acting Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro, head of the GAO. A ratification vote is expected to be concluded by Dec. 29. The agreement covers approximately 1,800 analysts and specialists employed by GAO and represented by the GAO Employees Organization, IFPTE (International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers), Local 1921.

"The quick agreement reached here is a testament to the constructive relationship GAO and the union have worked hard to develop," Dodaro said. "I expect that relationship will continue as we work toward a master collective bargaining agreement in 2009." Dodaro added that GAO is committed to the principle of equity in the 2009 pay adjustment for all employees.

Newly elected Union President, Ronald La Due Lake, said, "This agreement is a major step toward pay parity with our federal colleagues and demonstrates the wisdom of giving employees a meaningful voice in pay matters. The Union and management worked collaboratively and diligently to reach a fair agreement quickly, which benefits not only GAO employees, but also Congress and the public, particularly as demands on GAO workers will be greater than ever in the coming year."

There are two components to the 2009 pay increases under GAO's pay for performance system. Both are merit based. They are the Across the Board (ATB) annual increase and Performance Based Compensation (PBC):

The agreement provides for an across the board annual increase equivalent to the General Schedule (GS) locality increase for each GAO field office and headquarters. The GS across the board hike has been set at 2.9 percent plus the locality factor. The total across-the-board adjustment in the Washington area is 4.78 percent. All (more)

bargaining unit employees with a rating of "meets expectations" or higher will receive the increase. The increase would be effective Jan. 4, 2009.

The PBC will be determined once the parties have negotiated a PBC budget factor. The parties have deferred negotiations over a PBC budget factor until the GAO receives a final FY 2009 appropriation.

For more information, contact Chuck Young, Managing Director of GAO's Office of Public Affairs, at (202) 512-4800, or Ronald La Due Lake, the union President, at (202) 512-2760.

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