GAO Analysts to Seek Union Representation

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GAO Analysts to Seek Union Representation
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By Stephen Barr
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; Page D04

Watchdogs who work for the Congress are ready to seek union representation.

A group of analysts at the Government Accountability Office -- often dubbed the congressional watchdog agency because it ferrets out waste, fraud and mismanagement in the executive branch -- plan to petition today for a union election.

The call for a union vote, to a large degree, reflects unhappiness over changes in recent years to pay and personnel rules at the GAO that some analysts believe have eroded teamwork and increased workplace tension over assignments, responsibilities and promotions.

"We need a meaningful way to work with management," Judy Knepper, a senior analyst and project manager who has been at the GAO for 21 years, said yesterday.

The GAO has been in the vanguard of the pay-for-performance movement in government, mainly because David M. Walker, the agency head, has wanted to ensure that his workforce could serve as a model for modern public-sector compensation practices. Congress granted him broad leeway to reshape the GAO workforce in 2004.

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/07/AR2007050701496.html