GAO Analysts Vote to Join Labor Union

By ARI PAUL

The 1,813 Analysts at the U.S. Government Accountability Office voted Sept. 19 to be represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers by a 2-to-1 margin.

PAUL SHEARON: Analysts want a voice.

The organizing drive started 18 months ago after employees received cost-of-living-adjustments they felt were too small compared to those given to other Federal workers. The Analysts, who conduct research and draft reports on government accountability, also wanted more say in workplace conditions.

'Stressful Environment'

"There isn't any transparency in their performance evaluation," said Paul Shearon, the IFPTE's secretary-treasurer. "The actual work environment is pretty stressful. You can see it when you interview them."

The union election went smoothly, Mr. Shearon said, but he added that during the organizing drive the GAO hired Venable, a law firm based in Washington, D.C., for "union avoidance consulting."

With 75,000 members, the IFPTE represents workers in both the private and public sectors. On the Federal level, it already represents workers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Negotiations between the union and the GAO will commence in a few months, according to the union, as the Analysts are drafting a constitution and governing policies for their local.

"They're establishing themselves," said Mr. Shearon. "In doing that they'll also go out and survey the bargaining unit to ascertain exactly what the issues are beyond the ones we already know."