The Foreign Service Journal, April 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2013 45 AFSA NEWS WOMEN IN SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUS AFSA NEWS CALENDAR 4/3/2013 12:00 - 2:00 PM AFSA Governing Board Meeting 4/7 - 4/10/2013 AFSA Road Scholar Program 4/10/2013 2:00 - 3:30 PM Federal Benefits Speakers Series: “Geriatric Care and Health Management 4/15/2013 Deadline: AFSA High School Essay Contest 5/1/2013 12:00 - 2:00 PM AFSA Governing Board Meeting 5/3/2013 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Foreign Affairs Day/AFSA Memorial Plaque Ceremony 5/5/2013 8:00 AM Public Service Recognition Week 5K Run/Walk 5/22/2013 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AFSA Book Notes: “Master Class” 5/27/2013 Memorial Day: AFSA Offices Closed 6/2 - 6/7/2013 AFSA Road Scholar Program 6/5/2013 12:00 - 2:00 PM AFSA Governing Board Meeting THE OFFICIAL R CORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION 2012 USAID Survey Results Reveal Some Improvement This survey covers the concerns and thoughts of USAID’s Foreign Service officers for the 2012 calen- dar year. The 20-question survey, conducted electroni- cally, had a response of 442 participants, a lower num- ber than in previous years, but still significant. A much fuller analysis of the results is available through The Vanguard newsletter on the AFSAWeb site (www.afsa. org/USAID).  It is our hope that the information from this survey will aid the agency’s leader- ship when making decisions that affect our employees and programs. Profile of Responders: The profiles of responders coincide fairly close with current demographic data. A majority of them, 85 percent, are assigned overseas; 53 percent are male and 47 percent are female. Almost 50 percent of respondents are at the FS-4 or FS-3 levels, and 63 percent are 45 years of age or younger.  Of these respondents, about 31 percent are unmar- ried and 41 percent are not parents. Three percent reported that they were pregnant or had a partner currently pregnant. Overall, USAID FSOs are new to the agency, trending to a younger age cohort with the majority under 45 years of age.  With regard to diversity in the Foreign Service, 83 percent of FSOs classify themselves as Caucasian. The least repre- sented ethnic group, when compared to national civilian labor force levels, continues to be Hispanic-Americans at 6 percent (NCLF, 14 percent). African-Americans represent 8 percent of the work force (NCLF, 12 percent) and 6.8 percent are Asian- Americans (NCLF, 4.7 percent). FSO Lobbying and PR Priorities:  As in previous years, USAID FSOs place high priority on keeping their retirement package (84 percent; Question 9), and maintaining Overseas Comparability Pay (79 percent; Question 9). Nothing else comes close to these two concerns, as threats to the national budget, such as “Fiscal Cliffs,” “Furloughs” and “Sequestration” are frequently mentioned. AFSA is keenly aware of this and has legislative staff working diligently through lobbying and media outreach in partnership with other unions to protect our benefits. Labor Management Issues:  82.9% 27.1 % 55.3% 41.4% 21% 19.8% 66.1% 30.6% 41.7% 45.4 % 23.0% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 10. Please rate the following labor management issues in terms of what you consider their priority should be for AFSA Improving training opportuni9es Increasing EFM employment Opposing excessive mid-­‐level outside hiring into FS Limi9ng CS employees into FS overseas posi9ons Assignment process transparency "Level-­‐playing field" for disabled employees" Increasing FS diversity Ensuring FS overseas safety and security Improving FS supervisory skills overseas Improving quality of overseas schools Equal benefits with State Percentages reflect those who consider each issue a "high priority" Of all labor management issues, the highest priority (Question 10) for USAID FSOs is to “assure equal benefits with State” (83 percent). Glaring inequalities in benefits between the two USAID Survey continued on page 48 BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA, USAID VP