GAO employees vote to form a labor union

Government Accountability Office employees on Wednesday, for the first time in the agency’s history, voted to form a labor union.

{mosads}“I’m pleased with the outcome. GAO’s analysts banded together to help restore GAO’s greatness. We declared our independence,” Robert Kershaw, a senior analyst who voted in favor of the union, said.

Analysts voted 897 to 445 to form a union that would be represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

More than 1,800 employees were eligible to vote. Analysts working in the Washington headquarters voted by manual ballot while field-office employees, working nationwide, voted by mail.

Union organizers said the move was necessary after changes in personnel policies divided analysts into salary “bands,” eliminating cost-of-living increases for many and labeling of some workers as “over market,” which translates to a reduced salary.