The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

JUNE 2004 • AFSA NEWS 3 I t’s summer transfer season. If you are the AFSA representative at your post, please put this item on your check-out sheet: arrange for successor. If you arrive at your new post and find there is no AFSA rep, consider taking up the mantle. You will be doing a good deed. Several years ago, AFSA approved the inclusion of “community service” in the Procedural Precepts. Thismeant that not only could rating and reviewing officersmen- tion service— including service on the school board, the cafeteria committee, a selec- tion board or a review panel — in employees’ annual evaluations, but that promotion panels couldgive such serviceweight in their deliberations. Then-DirectorGeneral Ruth Davis thought, and AFSA agreed, that community service was important in strength- ening the institution of the Foreign Service. Such “community service” also includes contributing to employee welfare. So, yes, being an AFSA rep is a valuable form of community service, one that makes a major contribution to the strength of the Foreign Service. AFSA reps around the world are invaluable to us here at headquarters. They alert us tomembers’ concerns. FromtheAFSAe-mail bag, here are some recent issues taken on by AFSA reps: discrimination faced by administrative and technical staff resulting fromtheir exclusion fromthe diplomatic list; inequity in administering allowances; and problems with the post-9/11 requirement for a personal appearance to apply for a dri- ver’s license renewal, something that previously could be done by mail. Then there is that hardy perennial, overtime. Untenured employees andmost spe- cialists are entitled by law to overtime. Certain procedures have to be observed; e.g., overtimemust be approved in advance. However, there are posts that ignore the over- time rules. Employees, especially at the entry level, are often reluctant to approach a supervisor to request overtime compensation, for fear they may be branded as trou- blemakers. But it is precisely the entry-level employees who need either the overtime, or more likely, the comp time. At hardship posts, employees get R&R, but entry-level employees have not accumulated enough leave to take their R&R— comp time can cover the gap. The AFSA rep provides helpful cover for employees with complaints or problems. Where an individual might be reluctant to approach post management, the AFSA rep is expected to do so, and can simply say he/she has been asked by “employees” to dis- cuss this problem or that. The employees remain anonymous. Energetic AFSA reps at dangerous posts are included in security discussions. Post management sees them as a valuable linkbetweenmanagement and employees. The 2002AFSARepresentative of the Year awardee had served in Tel Aviv andworked very closely with post manage- ment on critical security issues. In addition, AFSA reps can sit in on interviews with DS and the OIG to help protect employees’ rights. Your service can be recognized in your EER. While direct references to AFSA in the EER are prohibited, there are circumlocutions to describe your efforts that will be easily understood by the selection panel. So, do good by helping your colleagues and seeing that management plays by the rules. Volunteer to be the AFSA rep at your post! ▫ V.P. VOICE: STATE BY LOUISE CRANE AFSA Wants YOU as a Rep! SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT : Acting AFSA President Louise Crane explained that the issue of spouse employment is so sensi- tive that when one post pays an eligible family member less than that person is entitled to based on previous experience, it strikes a very sore nerve. She thanked him for what appears to be the resolu- tion of the EFMemployment issue at AIT Taiwan, which was treating EFMs as though they had no prior U.S. work his- tory of any kind. RETIREMENT AGE : AFSA raised the question of compulsory retirement at age 65, noting that many members believe that the compulsory age should be raised to coincide with the age at which one can receive full Social Security ben- efits. Powell responded that raising the age would “age the force and restrict opportunity.” He said that the retirement age for themilitary is 55, and that “Inmy former employment, I had to get an exception to stay until age 56. It isn’t that we can’t perform; the issue is flow- through.” MOH : AFSA raised the Members of Household issue, which was discussed at recent entry-level conferences attended by AFSA, and informed the Secretary that AFSA had forwarded to management suggestions for adjusting the MOH reg- ulations on issues such as the definition of EFM. ASSIGNMENT PROCESS : Because the Secretary hasmentionedmore than once Powell • Continued from page 1 Continued on page 7 Raising the retirement age would “age the force and restrict opportunity,” Powell said. “It isn’t that we can’t perform; the issue is flow-through.”