Extraordinary Times: An Extraordinary Request

BY AFSA SECRETARY KENNETH KERO-MENTZ

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the past several years have indeed been exceptional for the Foreign Service and for AFSA, to say nothing of the past several months.

AFSA has risen to the unprecedented challenges of these years and has expanded and improved our member services and outreach. (See AFSA News in the March 2020 FSJ for a full report.)

Even as we continue our work on your behalf, we know that the need to maintain a strong, professional career Foreign Service is greater than ever, and our work will need to deepen.

We are reaching out now to our members for your support to do this. We are asking for a modest, additional $6 to $13 annually from each of you to enable us to increase the reach and impact of AFSA’s work.

Having served on AFSA’s Governing Board for four terms, I know well how every board strives to meet your needs while ensuring that AFSA—your union and professional association—remains on firm financial footing.

AFSA’s bylaws stipulate that the Governing Board may raise membership dues each year by not more than the Consumer Price Index increase (which has ranged from as little as 0 percent to as much as 2.3 percent over the past four years).

The bylaws also state that to raise dues beyond the CPI increase a referendum of the entire membership must be held.

At the April Governing Board meeting, after months of preparation and deliberation, the board unanimously voted to put our proposal to increase dues above the CPI to a vote of the membership in a special referendum (scheduled for September), and we urge you—our members—to support this modest, one-time increase above the CPI.

The dues increase that the Governing Board is asking for is small. Briefly, the referendum calls for dues to increase by 50 cents per pay period ($13/year) for FS-03s or above, and 25 cents per pay period ($6.50/year) for FS-04s and below. For annuitants receiving more than $50,000 a year, dues will increase by $1.00 per month ($12/year); and for those earning less, 50 cents per month ($6.00/year).

These changes would take effect on Dec. 31.

While we recognize that all of us are being called on to stretch our families’ resources during these uncertain times, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope you’ll appreciate how reasonable this increase is per member.

But that’s the great thing about being a member of a union. This small increase per member, when multiplied by our nearly 17,000 members, will help AFSA raise sufficient resources—approximately $175,000—to hire additional (and badly needed) staff.

Over the past several years, AFSA’s resources in member assistance, communications and advocacy have been stretched thin.

This additional revenue will help AFSA commit resources in these critical areas (as part of the annual budget process) to best align with our Governing Board’s strategic vision: support all of our members and explain the U.S. Foreign Service to Congress, the press and our country.

We are making this “extra-ordinary” request for your support for your union because it will help us help you.

When the referendum ballot is sent to you in September (by email if we have your address or by postal mail if not) we urge you to vote YES.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at referendum@afsa.org.

Note:

According to AFSA’s bylaws, any proposal “to increase dues by more than the CPI must be submitted to a referendum and approved by a majority of those members voting by secret ballot.”

Statements in Opposition:

AFSA shall accept, for 14 days following the date of announcement of the referendum, statements of no more than 500 words in opposition thereto and signed by not fewer than ten AFSA members in good standing. Please submit statements of opposition (with a list of names of AFSA members concurring) via email to AFSA at referendum@afsa.org by 11:59 pm EDT on July 15. This deadline has now passed.