The Foreign Service Journal, February 2007

American Foreign Service Association • February 2007 AFSA NEWS F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 55 D espite a sustained all-out effort, AFSA did not succeed in convincing Congress to pass a bill in 2006 amending the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to permit the introduction of OverseasComparabilityPay. The final decisionmade by theHouse leadershipwas to drop fromthemini-foreign affairs authorization bill the central element that was the carefully negotiated solution to the overseas pay disparity and introductionof an acceptable pay- for-performance system to the entire FS. The decision came down to congressional objections to the over- all cost of bringing overseas pay up toWashington levels—despite arguments fromAFSAand the StateDepartment’s assurances that AFSA REGRETS FAILURE TO PASS FOREIGN SERVICE MODERNIZATION ACT Back to the Drawing Board on Overseas Locality Pay A FSA has withdrawn the Oct. 18, 2006, grievance it filed against the State Department to protest the assignment of a non-Foreign Service officer to the newly-created regional pub- lic diplomacy hub director position in Brussels. AFSA filed the grievance only after attempts to ensure that the position would be adequately advertised, to give qualified Foreign Service bidders a chance to apply, failed. Recent negotiations with the department in connection with this case have led to significant progress in ensuring transparency in the assignment system. OnDec. 15, 2006, Director General of the Foreign Service George Staples and AFSA President J. Anthony Holmes jointly announced the negotiated settle- ment of AFSA’s grievance. The settlement breaks the assignment in question and places the position on the summer 2007 open assignment list. It also institution- alizes a number of changes to the Foreign Affairs Manual and other State Depart- ment regulations and procedures to en- hance transparency and predictability in this area and minimize the prospects for such disagreements in the future. AFSA thanks itsmembers for theman- ifest support to the organization shown when the grievance filingwas announced. The successful resolution of this grievance demonstrates the value and impact of a firm, collective voice for the ForeignService in protecting the interests and integrity of our institution. Following is the text of the Dec. 15, 2006, message, State 199798, titled, “AFSA and theDepartment Settle the Institutional Grievance.” “This is a joint message fromDirector General George M. Staples and AFSA President J. Anthony Holmes. “Together we are pleased to announce a resolution of the institutional grievance that AFSA filed against the department on Oct. 18, 2006, regarding the assignment of a career Civil Service employee to the senior positionof director of a newly estab- lished Regional Public Diplomacy hub in Brussels. With this agreement, AFSA has withdrawn the grievance. “Since the grievance was filed, our mutual efforts have focused on the pro- cedures that were followed surrounding this assignment fromthe beginning to the end. The procedures were not clear and, together, we have focused onwhat we can — and must — do to bring them up to that standard. The agreement we have reached details how the assignment of our Civil Service colleagues to Foreign Service positions will be handled in the future, to the benefit of all. As a result, we will be adjusting the FAM, the Foreign Affairs Handbook and HR/CDA’s Standard Operating Procedures. We believe that these steps will ensure that any future assignments of this nature will be guided by negotiated, established procedures that are fair and transparent to bothCivil Service and Foreign Service employees. “The assignment of the career Civil Service employee to the position in ques- tion is being curtailed. The decision to cur- tail the employeewas not taken lightly. We understand that she is doing an excellent job and is to be commended for the hard work and accomplishment in establishing the regional operation. The position will now be listed on FS Bid and the Open Assignments process as a summer 2007 opening.” KEY VICTORY WILL PROMOTE ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM TRANSPARENCY AFSA Drops Grievance Following Successful Resolution Continued on page 56 Inside This Issue: Tax Guide, page 57