AFSA NEWS AFSA NEWSTHE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION CALENDAR Please check afsa.org/events for the most up-to-date information. June 19 Juneteenth AFSA Offices Closed July 4 Independence Day AFSA Offices Closed July 15 New Governing Board Takes Office June 18 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2025 49 Results: 2025-2027 AFSA Governing Board Election Board Officer Positions President: John Dinkelman Secretary: Sue Saarnio Treasurer: John Naland State Vice President: Rohit Nepal USAID Vice President: Randy Chester FCS Vice President: Jay Carreiro Retiree Vice President: Hon. John O’Keefe Executive Order Strips Labor Rights from Many FS Members AFSA filed a lawsuit in federal court on April 7 to block a sweeping new executive order that eliminates collective bargaining rights for a majority of Foreign Service personnel. The order, signed by President Donald Trump on March 27, claims national security concerns as the basis for removing long-standing labor protections from employees across multiple federal agencies, including the State Department and USAID. AFSA’s legal challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserts that the executive order is both legally indefensible and politically motivated. According to the complaint, “rather than consider whether the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute could be applied consistent with national security requirements, President Trump used the pretext of national security to deprive Foreign Service members of their statutory rights under that statute in order to attack the Foreign Service members’ exclusive bargaining representative, AFSA, because it would not ‘work with him’.” AFSA argues the administration is retaliating against a union that has consistently advocated for the professional, nonpartisan integrity of American diplomats. “This isn’t about security,” said AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi. “This is about silencing our voice, punishing us for speaking out, and undermining the Foreign Service.” Continued on page 53 The AFSA Committee on Elections is pleased to announce the results of the 2025–2027 AFSA Governing Board election. A total of 4,627 valid ballots were received (4,611 online and 16 paper). This represents 25 percent of the eligible voting membership. The following AFSA members have been elected: Full-Time State Representative: Sandra (Castillo) Abrahamsen State Representatives: Christina Higgins hannah draper Stephanie Straface Donald Emerick Connor Ferry-Smith USAID Representative: Austan Mogharabi Alternate FCS Representative: Joshua Burke APHIS Representative: Joseph Ragole USAGM Representative: Gunter Schwabe Retiree Representatives: Julie Nutter, Michael Kirby There were no candidates for the positions of FAS vice president and Alternate FAS representative. As no write-in candidates reached the 5-vote threshold stipulated in AFSA’s bylaws, the new board will fill these positions once its term begins on July 15. Additionally, due to AFSA’s temporary loss of union status at the Department of State and USAID, the three full-time board members elected at those agencies (State VP, USAID VP, full-time State Rep) will serve, for now, on a volunteer basis on their own time and will not be detailed to AFSA on official time. For a copy of the full list of write-in votes, or with questions regarding the results, please contact the AFSA Committee on Elections at election@afsa.org. Board Constituency Representatives
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