The Foreign Service Journal, February 2007

56 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7 A F S A N E W S Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Tween Nguyen: nguyen@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Jon Reed: reed@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov and Charles Garten: gartenc@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web-site & Database Associate: vacant Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org Elderhostel Coordinator Janice Bay: bay@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: holmes@afsa.org STATE VP: kashkettsb@state.gov RETIREE VP: 42reuwash@earthlink.net USAID VP: fzamora@usaid.gov FCS VP: donald.businger@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: J. Anthony Holmes STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Steven Kashkett USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Francisco Zamora FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Donald Businger FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Vacant RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: David Reuther SECRETARY: Tex Harris TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Alan Misenheimer, Hugh Neighbour, Joyce Namde, Randy Steen, Daphne Titus, Andrew Young, Andrea Zomaszewicz and Sandy Robinson USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Mike Henning FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Center FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Robert Curtis IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Al Pessin RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Leonard J. Baldyga, Roger Dankert, Larry Lesser and Gilbert Sheinbaum funds to beginphasing inOCPwere built into the administration’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget request and that no new deficit-increas- ing appropriation was necessary. Eliminating the pay disparity is of such high importance to both State Department management and to the Foreign Service, AFSA argued, that a fund- ing channelwouldbe foundandmade avail- able. AFSA believes that Congress missed an exceptional, perhaps unique, opportunity to resolve this pay equity issue. Theone clear advantage that we finally attained in 2006 —the administration’s support for the first time (and in a periodwhen the same party controlled theWhiteHouse andbothhous- es of Congress) — is now lost. Although bitterly disappointed, AFSA has already begun to coordinatewith supporters on the Hill to take up this number-one priority issue in the 110th Congress. Prospects for passage in the next two years are difficult to assess given the changes of both the House and Senate leadership. An excerpt from the official statement on the House floor of one key ally, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), the floor manager of the bill, fol- lows: “I sincerely regret, Mr. Speaker, that this bill (H.R. 6060) does not contain important provisions for the reform of the Foreign Service compensation system that were in the version reported by the House International Relations Committee. ... “The current Foreign Service compensation system provides mid- and entry-level officers stationed in the U.S. with the regu- lar OPM locality pay increase that is not given to similarly-ranked officers stationed abroad. Over the years, this domestic locality pay (a byproduct ofU.S.metropolitan statistical areas) has had the unin- tendedconsequenceof compensatingofficers at amuchhigher salary when they are stationed in the U.S. than when they are stationed overseas. For example, those currently sta- tioned inWashington,D.C., receive 17.5per- centmore due to this locality pay than their counterparts abroad. The compensation reformwould have removed this disincen- tive for ForeignService officers toworkover- seas by eliminating the domesticU.S. local- ity pay. The bill would have leveled the pay disparity for over 7,000mid- and entry-level officers who are serving abroad. “I want to commend, in particular, the American Foreign Service Association, the exclusive bargaining unit for the Foreign Service, for the incredible amount of time and dedication that they exhibited innego- tiating the text of the compensation pack- age and in contacting and informingmem- bers of Congress. [Ambassador] J. Anthony Holmes, the President of AFSA, has informedme that a 2005 survey of active- dutyForeignServicemembersworldwide identified the pay inequity betweenWashington, D.C., andoverseas as profoundly unfair, and indicated that themembers wanted overseas comparability pay to beAFSA’s toppriority. AFSA took this directive seriously, andwent above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to see it accom- plished. “Again, I share AFSA’s — as well as the State Department’s — extreme disappointment that the compensation package will not be passed by this Congress. It is my sincere hope that it will be re- introduced and passed early next year.” OCP • Continued from page 55 Although bitterly disappointed, AFSA has already begun to coordinate with supporters on the Hill to take up this number-one priority issue in the 110th Congress.