In a First, GAO Analysts Vote to Join a Union

But Walker's changes to the pay system angered some analysts, who took their complaints to members of Congress. During the dispute, Walker authorized a settlement with 12 employees who had filed grievances over the pay changes. After the union filed a petition in May seeking the election, he hired a law firm to help with legal issues related to the unionizing effort.

The union vote, to some degree, underscores the difficult nature of overhauling pay and personnel rules in the government, especially if employees perceive them as eroding annual raises and reducing credits for retirement.

GAO analysts are not the only white-collar professionals who have turned to a union when uneasy about work changes. Employees at the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters joined the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in 1999 and 2000 after changes were made to pay rules there.

From 2000 to 2004, white-collar professionals at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration brought in the National Treasury Employees Union as their bargaining representative.

Shearon said GAO analysts met yesterday to discuss their next steps, which include electing a council, writing a constitution and making arrangements to negotiate their first contract.

Talk Show

John Fox, the FBI's chief historian, will be the guest on "FedTalk" at 11 a.m. today on http://federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Stephen Barr's e-mail address is barrs@washpost.com.