The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

AFSA NEWS Payroll Failures: AFSA Files Cohort Grievance Since the State Department’s Bureau of the Comptrol- ler and Global Financial Services switched to an automated payroll system in February 2021, employees have experienced a range of problems, including miss- ing or incorrect differential and allowances, incorrect pay amounts, and incorrect statements of earnings and leave, among other issues. AFSA has been urging the department to agree to pay interest on all back pay that has become outstand- ing since the introduction of the new payroll system. In the absence of a positive response, on Feb. 24 AFSA filed a cohort grievance seek- ing restitution. At present, there are six named members of the cohort. AFSA has requested the department to enter into an agreement with AFSA whereby it would apply the outcome of the grievance to all similarly situated For- eign Service members and retirees. If the department does not agree to this, AFSA anticipates providing the department with a list of all employees and retirees who wish to join the cohort grievance. If this becomes necessary, AFSA will let all members know. The Back Pay Act requires interest to be paid when a nondiscretionary payment is delayed for more than 30 days. In 2017, the Foreign Service Grievance Board issued a decision ruling that there was an obligation to pay interest when the State Department delayed paying the grievant’s post differen- tial. While AFSA appreci- ates the efforts of the staff of CGFS in Charleston to overcome the overwhelm- ing number of problems and errors caused by the intro- duction of the new system, these continuing errors and problems are unacceptable. The adverse effect on peo- ple’s pocketbooks, on morale and on employees’ faith that the department “has their backs” has been devastating, and department leadership must work hard to regain the confidence of Foreign Service members and retirees. It remains our goal to ensure that the State Depart- ment: 1. Fix the problem. 2. Make people whole. 3. Ensure accountability. We have repeatedly called on the department to use every possible means to en- sure that no one is financially disadvantaged or loses leave as a result of what can only be called a fiasco. This includes encouraging the department to see if the contractor can be held liable for damages caused to individuals. AFSA has been in close contact with the relevant House and Senate com- mittees on Capitol Hill. Like AFSA, our authorizers are disappointed in the depart- ment’s inability to adhere to promised deadlines and make people whole. AFSA has asked for the Hill’s intervention to hold the department accountable for the haphazard rollout of the new payroll system and its inaction on problems result- ing from it. AFSA will also continue to insist that the department conduct an in-depth investi- gation, whether via the Office of the Inspector General or other means, to establish how this epic failure hap- pened and to ensure it never happens again. n THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2022 63 USDA FAS Officer Candice Bruce introduces Ambassador S. Fitzgerald Haney at “Cooking with the Ambassador” in San José, Costa Rica, in June 2017. and made [the findings] publicly available to inform bothWash- ington and U.S. stakeholders about coffee production in Peru.” For those interested in working for FAS, Bruce suggested pursuing a degree in economics, data analysis, international affairs or animal science. She also emphasized the importance of resilience, adaptability and good judgment in appropriately representing the U.S. overseas. “Trade is an essential part of food security,” Bruce said in closing. “We are helping to feed the world, and that’s a mean- ingful part of our mission.” Candice Bruce currently works as director of the Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office, where she covers 25 countries. She joined the Foreign Service 13 years ago and has previously served in Costa Rica. She is the first FAS officer to be featured in this speaker series. Diplomats at Work tells the stories of the Foreign Service, introducing the important and varied work of diplomats to new audiences as part of AFSA’s outreach efforts. A recording of this event is available at youtube.com/ AFSAtube. n