AFSA NEWS 72 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL for every 2,000 members or fraction thereof, so long as the fraction is greater than half, as of the end of the month prior to the issuance of the call for nominations, provided that any constituency that for three consecutive months has a membership which would on that date have entitled it to an additional representative shall have an additional representative, who shall be appointed by the board” and inserting: “In addition, each active-duty constituency shall be entitled to one representative for every 1,500 members, not to exceed six representatives per constituency, and the alumni constituency shall be entitled to one representative for every 2,000 members, as of the end of the month prior to the issuance of the call for nominations. An additional representative is authorized if membership exceeds the relevant calculation factor by greater than half. Between elections, any constituency that for three consecutive months has a membership which would entitle it to an additional representative shall have an additional representative appointed by the board.” Justification: AFSA’s active-duty membership fell by more than 25 percent over the past year. Depending on the membership totals at the time of the next Governing Board election, the number of State Department representative positions could drop from six to three. Given the vital role of active-duty members in charting their future, authorizing one representative for every 1,500 instead of 2,000 active-duty members would preserve five State representative positions on the 2027–2029 board if current membership totals remain unchanged at the time for call for nominations. Since alumni membership has not declined over the past year, leaving the alumni representative calculation factor at 2,000 would preserve the current three alumni board members if current membership totals remain unchanged. The board could potentially have a total of six alumni members if the positions of president, secretary, and treasurer are filled by alumni members as they are now. Referendum— One-Time Dues Increase Increase annual base dues by 5 percent, effective as of December 1, 2026. Justification: The March 2025 Executive Order and subsequent actions precipitated a more than 25 percent drop in AFSA dues revenue. At the same time, more members are coming to AFSA for legal assistance and the need for AFSA public and congressional advocacy have increased. While AFSA has reduced staff and slashed discretionary spending, additional resources are needed to maintain core staffing to defend the Foreign Service. A one-time, 5 percent dues increase would generate an additional $200,000 in annual dues revenue at a modest cost to individual members. For example, annual dues increases would be: FS4-6 $12.52, FS1-3 $21.97, SFS $28.17, alumni with $75,000+ annuities $13.10, alumni with $50,000–$75,000 annuities $10.62, alumni with $25,000– $50,000 annuities $7.79, and non-annuitants $5.11. n USAID Memorial Wall Finds New Home The USAID Memorial Wall, which honors employees who died in service to our country, has been reinstalled in the State Department’s D Street Lobby following its removal from USAID headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building. The move took place the weekend of March 28. Created and formerly maintained by USAID, the memorial honors Foreign Service officers and Civil Service employees, Foreign Service Nationals, and personal service contractors. With the recent addition of three names, it now commemorates 102 USAID-associated personnel. A list of the 99 names as of 2024 appears on page 77 of the May 2024 FSJ. All Foreign Service honorees on the USAID memorial who meet AFSA’s criteria are also honored on the AFSA Memorial Plaques in the State Department’s C Street Lobby. Although the D Street Lobby is not the memorial’s original home, its installation there ensures that the service and sacrifice of those it honors will continue to be recognized. AFSA extends its gratitude to USAID FSO (ret.) Dinah Zeltser-Winant, Ambassador Eric Rubin, John Naland, and others whose advocacy and persistence made the relocation possible. A Foreign Service Day rededication ceremony for the installation was planned for early May. For coverage, see the July-August 2026 edition of The Foreign Service Journal. n AFSA/NADJA RUZICA
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