The Foreign Service Journal, March 2010

American Foreign Service Association T hepast yearmarkedthe85thanniver- sary of AFSA’s creation as a profes- sional association. Overall, it was an eventful year. AFSA’s longstanding effort to close the overseas pay gap for entry and mid-level ForeignService employees, ener- geticallypursuedbyformerAFSAPresidents TonyHolmes and JohnNaland, StateVice President Steve Kashkett and AFSA pro- fessional staff, finallymetwithat least tem- porary success, supported by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. With the help of key members of Congress, this inequity should be eliminated by 2011 throughthree successivepay increases. State and USAID implemented the pay-gap fix immediately andwere soon joinedby FAS and FCS. IBB needed extra “encourage- ment”but the issue is largely resolved there, as well. Thissuccessdemonstrateshowtheinter- ests of the Foreign Service are best served whenmanagement and labor work together, across all FS agencies, to improve policies and promote equity for all. The project to renovate AFSA’s long-neglectedhead- quarterswassuccessfullycom- pleted and the displacedpro- fessional staffmovedback last spring. The modernized office space now offers new facilities to expand outreach, build alliances, improve operations andbetter serveandsupport our members and their families. Our upgrad- ed building provides a strong foundation for bringing our Web site and IT infra- structure into line with the times — a GoverningBoardpriority. AFSA’s former legislativedirector,IanHouston,whoseded- icatedwork on the overseas comparability pay issue contributed directly to our suc- cess,was selectedasournewexecutivedirec- tor and is working to improve internal structure and opera- tions. The 2009AFSAGoverning Board elections were strongly contested and highlighted the pressingneed for reformof our election procedures—partic- ularly as they relate to candi- dates’ means of communica- tion with voters. Voters elect- edamixof the two competing slates, and the newGoverning Boardquicklycametogetherto work for the interests of AFSA and the Foreign Service. Several candidates filed complaints with the AFSA Elections Committee, which determined that violationshad occurred, but lacked the resourcestodeterminewhether the violations affected theout- come of the election. The committee certified the results of the electionandadvised the complainants that theyhadthe right to file a complaint with the Depart- ment of Labor. Several did so. AFSA is working with the Department of Labor to clarify and streamline our elec- tion procedures. The Governing Board held a strategic planning retreat in early November and identified four overarching goals, with key deliverables under each: (1) securing resources, improving operations and pro- tectingbenefits; (2) increasing cooperation with management and presence in policy development; (3) improving the image and outreach of the Foreign Service; and (4) improving internalAFSAorganization. For details, refer to the January issue of AFSA News. AFSA is reaching out to management across all five Foreign Service agencies. At the StateDepartment we are talking to the Office of Policy Planning about how to revive theOpenForumandencouragepro- ductive use of the Dissent Channel. With the Human Resources Bureau, we have stressed the value of AFSAparticipation in important processes such as theQuadren- nial Diplomacy andDevelopment Review andSecretaryClinton’sDiplomacy3.0pro- gram. Beyond the foreign affairs agencies, MA R CH 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 49 AFSA Working for a Stronger AFSA BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AUSTIN TRACY AFSA State VP Steve Kashkett (right) officially welcomes Secretary Clinton on her first day at the State Department, Jan. 22, 2009, while AFSA President John Naland (left) and audio technician Travis Lightfoot look on. MICHAEL LAIACONA ANNUAL REPORT 2009