For Immediate Release
March 19, 2025
Contact: Communications Director Nikki Gamer | Cell #: (978) 884-0003 | gamer@afsa.org

Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) upholds the integrity of the collective bargaining process and the established legal framework governing the Foreign Service. The terms of performance evaluation and promotion—including a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) core precept—were negotiated in good faith between AFSA and the Department of State for the period between April 2022 and April 2025. Foreign Service members rely on these terms when documenting their yearly performance, making career decisions, accepting assignments, and carrying out State Department priorities.

Retroactively removing these agreed-upon terms disadvantages employees who fulfilled their obligations in place at the time. Furthermore, taking adverse action against Foreign Service members based on policies they implemented under a prior administration would violate both the principles of fairness and the labor law provisions that protect employees from punitive measures for carrying out official duties.

AFSA is committed to working with the current administration as it implements its personnel priorities. However, any changes to the tenure and promotion system must be subject to collective bargaining, as required by law. We will oppose any efforts to penalize Foreign Service members for executing the policies of any administration.

We respectfully urge the administration to engage in good faith negotiations to ensure that all Foreign Service members are treated fairly and in accordance with the law.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is the professional association and labor union of the men and women of the United States Foreign Service.