President’s Views

BY TOM YAZDGERDI

I want to devote my column this month to reassuring our members that AFSA is still here for you. As you well know, a head-spinning slew of executive orders issued over the last few months have negatively impacted our members, AFSA, and the institution of the U.S. Foreign Service. But we have been fighting for you for more than 100 years, and we are not going anywhere.

One recent executive order took away collective bargaining rights at State and USAID, where the vast majority of our members work. But we are fighting in federal court with everything we’ve got to restore those rights. And while this setback has serious consequences for accountability and transparency around any unilateral personnel actions this administration wishes to take, we continue to support and defend our network of active-duty and alumni members.

We still maintain our status as a professional association—that will never change and cannot be eliminated by this or any other administration. Most members who use AFSA’s services know us through what we do as a professional association. Want to be sure the voice of the Foreign Service is heard on the Hill? Need legal advice on employment and security clearance issues? Thinking of filing a grievance? Are you the subject of an administrative inquiry or investigation and not sure where to turn? Are you a regular reader of The Foreign Service Journal? Will your child apply for a merit or need-based scholarship as part of the $350,000 that AFSA awards annually to college-aged children of members? Want to nominate a colleague for exemplary performance or constructive dissent awards? These benefits—and many more—will remain, regardless of what happens in court.

For these activities to continue, however, we need your help. For decades, our six foreign affairs agencies deducted dues automatically from members’ government paychecks and retirement annuities. That is how most members have paid their AFSA dues, which are among the lowest of any labor union or professional association, federal or otherwise. Because of the recent executive order, State and USAID stopped collecting these dues as of April 17, including for retirees.

In early May, AFSA rolled out a new way to pay your dues on an annual or quarterly basis directly on the AFSA website. It has taken a while to switch over to this direct payment system because we want to get it right and make it as easy as possible for members to continue to pay their dues.

Even with this new system in place, AFSA may take a hit of 20 percent or more in lost dues revenue as some forget to sign up or choose to let their memberships lapse. But I am hopeful that by the time you read this, most members will have made the switch.

I humbly ask those who have not yet done so to please make signing up for direct payments through the AFSA website a priority. Member dues pay for nearly 90 percent of AFSA operations, and there is no better way to ensure that AFSA can continue to serve its members than by paying your dues.

AFSA is doing its part to find cost-saving measures, such as not backfilling positions due to attrition and putting on hold planned hiring. We are also appealing to those who have provided large-scale donations in the past to help AFSA in its greatest hour of need.

I am confident that one day we will return to a situation where the administration values collective bargaining and understands that a strong AFSA helps create a strong workforce and a strong Foreign Service. In the meantime, we need your support so our incredible AFSA staff can continue to provide you the outstanding services you expect and deserve.

Please let me know your thoughts at yazdgerdi@afsa.org or member@afsa.org.