The Foreign Service Journal, March 2009

MA R CH 2 0 0 9 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 59 A F S A N E W S AFSA Annual Report 2008 C O N S T I T U E N C Y S U M M A R I E S A FSA’s efforts at the Department of State in 2008 covered a broad range of issues of intense concern to our members, but the focal point remained the unique problems and chal- lenges associated with sustaining our two largest diplomatic mis- sions in active war zones. Aswe enteredour sixth year of staffingAfghanistanand Iraq, we couldcountthousandsofourmemberswhohadalreadyvolunteered fortoursofdutythere,andcouldproudlypointtotheForeignService’s willingness to“stepup to theplate” for combat zoneduty. We could confidentlysaythatnotasingledirectedassignment toeitherembassy or to the provincial reconstruction teams in the two countries hadbeennecessary. Yet theForeignServicenonetheless began2008 under a cloud of bad press, hostile public opinion and con- gressional skepticism as a result of the department’s ill-advised “prime candidate” exercise for Iraq staffing in the fall of 2007, followed by its mishandling of the publicity surrounding that exercise. AFSA undertook a cam- paign to set the record straight, to restore the image of the Foreign Service and to persuade senior State officials to take a different approach to the Iraq/Afghanistan assignment cycle in 2008. We gave a series of high-profile media interviews, placedop-eds andhelpeddozens of ourmembersworld- wide to publish letters to the editor of their hometown newspa- pers. More importantly, we set forthadetailedblueprint for depart- mentmanagement touse inrecruitingvolunteers for ForeignService positions in the two war zones. This blueprint relied on positive encouragement rather than coercion, appealed to our members’ senseof duty, andallowed time for thenatural dynamicof theOpen Assignment process to generate willing bidders. In the end, the department adoptedAFSA’s approach, andall IraqandAfghanistan positions for summer 2009 were filled by the early fall of 2008. Other aspects of war-zone service that AFSA repeatedly raised throughout the year with 7th-floor principals, with the director general’s office and with key State bureaus included honoring promises made to Iraq and Afghanistan volunteers for onward assignment consideration, ensuring that extendedwar-zone tem- porary duty service is reflected in employees’ HR folders and sup- porting families separated by unaccompanied tours. In January, AFSA hand-delivered a letter signed by 100 FS members in Iraq to House Ways &Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., urging legislation to provide income tax exemptions to federal civilian employees serving in combat zones. And proper recognitionand treatment of Post-TraumaticStressDisorder among those returning from high-threat posts remained a frequent sub- ject of discussion between AFSA and M/MED. Beyond the complex problems surrounding war-zone service, the AFSA State office: • Pressed for fairness in the assignment process and argued for even-handed application of fair share requirements and the 5/8-Year Rule, while still allowing for waivers in cases of demonstrable special circumstances and humanitarian need; • Consulted closely withHR in revamping the Foreign Service entry process, introducing a Qualifications Evaluation Panel and modifying the written exam; • Assistedmembers assignedoverseas seeking employment for their family members or status/recognition for their domes- tic partners; • Lobbied formore flexible rules for ForeignServicewomenwho currentlymust exhaust their annual and sick leave when fac- ingmandatorymedical evacuation fromoverseasposts forpreg- nancy and childbirth; • Negotiatednewforeigncontact reporting rules aswell asmod- ifications to Foreign Affairs Manual regulations in dozens of other areas; • Heldquarterlymeetingswiththe senior leadershipof theBureau of Diplomatic Security to address concerns of personnel assigned to Iraq,DS investigativeprocedures and security clear- ance suspensions; • Addressed a severe backlog in issuance of PCS travel orders and lack of responsiveness byHR technicians, aswell as com- plaints frommembers regarding heavy-handed attempts by theCharlestonFinancial ServicesCenter to collect allegedout- standing debts, sometimes more than a decade old, from employees’ travel or medevac vouchers; • Conducted an electronic survey of the opinions of the entire State Foreign Service on a wide range of career-related sub- jects, drawing completed responses from nearly half of total Service members (5,700 out of 11,500). As always, over the course of the year, the AFSAState vice pres- ident and the professional staff of the State Labor Management Office fielded requests fromhundreds of members for assistance with individual problems; represented members in hundreds of grievances, disciplinary cases, DS investigations and security clear- ance cases; and fielded over a thousand requests for information or advice on a wide variety of issues. —Steve Kashkett, State VP State: A Broad Range of Activity Our focal point remained the unique problems and challenges associated with sustaining our two largest diplomatic missions in active war zones.