The Foreign Service Journal, March 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 49 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS The past year saw several major accomplishments, with significant bottom line and positive career effects for the Foreign Commercial Service. We could not have accomplished anything like this without a strong, positive relationship with management. Our thanks go to Deputy Director General Charles (Chuck) Ford, Ejike Obineche, director of Foreign Service personnel, and Tom Moore, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of International Operations. I am also in great debt for the hard, smart work of Steve Morrison, AFSA FCS representative. Worked on the Proposed International Trade Admin- istration Consolidation. This subject dominated the last six months of the year and included extensive meetings with management, regular liaison on the Hill, outreach to the member- ship, analysis and a lot of jabber. We were disappointed that man- agement could not find the capac- ity to respond in a spirit that could have produced a good product. We believe the proposal seriously threatens our clients’ interests and FCS members’ careers. The outcome is still in doubt as I write this column, but we have succeeded in getting substantial review and additional time. Established a Full-Time AFSA VP Position. In 2012, after many years of advocacy, we changed the AFSA VP position from half-time, reporting to the Office of International Opera- tions deputy assistant secretary, to a full-time position. This created greater independence, removed conflicts of interests and provided the time to do the job well. The officer is no lon- ger reviewed for promotion or for awards, but receives time- in-class and time-in-service extensions for up to three years. Restored Bonuses. Late in 2011, management declared there would be no money for bonuses for Commercial Service employees. We worked hard, enlisting allies on Capitol Hill, to have those funds restored, staving off a dangerous precedent with significant personal implications for anyone serious about our career. Beating Back the STOCK Act. We worked, so far success- fully—in dramatic last-minute pitches on the Hill with the larger Senior Government Service coalition—to postpone, and, we hope, overturn the provision of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act that would have required Senior Service members to post their private financial information on the Internet for all to see. We successfully argued against it on the Hill and brought an American Civil Liberties Union suit arguing that the act is an invasion of privacy and endangers personnel and U.S. government security unnecessarily. Established an Ambassadorial Process. We have made it a priority to have at least one ambassador appointed from the FCS ranks, and were finally successful this year in getting management to establish a process to implement this goal. We believe that an FCS ambassadorship is important not only for the career track, but also for the visibility and interagency prestige of the Service. It is long past the time for this neglect to be corrected. Restored a Proper Continuing Service Agreement. After manage- ment implemented a stringent inter- pretation of the requirement that officers pay back transfer and other expenses if they leave the Service before completing a full assignment, we successfully argued that an officer should only be liable for his or her return-from- post costs if he or she does not complete two years. If an officer curtails an assignment after less than one year at post, he or she will be liable for both to-and-from-post expenses and shipment of belongings. If the assignment panel breaks the assignment, the officer is not liable. Established the Deputy Director General Position. In the past, the DDG position has frequently (but not always) been held by an FSO. Working hard with Chuck Ford, we set the precedent that the DDG should always be reserved for an FSO. This is important not only for career mobility, but for the institution. n FCS VP: Some Big Wins BY FCS VP KEITH CURTIS The past year saw several major accomplishments, with significant bottom line and positive career effects for Foreign Commercial Service.

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