The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

74 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 0 7 I n its continuing efforts toworkwith the administration and Congress to elimi- nate the growing overseas pay dispari- ty for the Foreign Service, AFSA sent a let- ter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice onMay 11 urging her to reach out direct- ly toCongress. The current base-pay reduc- tion for Foreign Service employees below the FS-1 level upon starting an overseas assignment is nearly19percent. This serves as a disincentive to overseas service, espe- cially during a time when the Foreign Service is being asked toaccept greater dan- ger and hardship in overseas postings. The text of the letter follows: Dear Madam Secretary, You may be aware that AFSA takes advantage of the department’s annual Foreign Affairs Day to invite our retired members to come toWashingtonone day early to joinus inmeetings onCapitolHill. So last week, AFSA coordinated a series of meetingswith theofficesof SenateMajority LeaderHarryReid,HouseMajorityLeader Steny Hoyer, Chairman Joseph Biden, SenatorLugar,ChairmanTomLantos, and Rep. IleanaRos-Lehtinen. Beyondthesekey decisionmakers, we also connected with a total of 29 separate congressional offices on adirect constituent basis. Ourmessagewas simple and clear: securing more interna- tional affairs resources andending, onceand for all, the growing pay disparity between Washington and overseas service. Since January, AFSAhasworkedactive- ly towards our goal of achieving pay com- parability in this session. We feel strong- ly that a legislative strategymust be imple- mented early tobetter avoid the inevitable challenges that arise during the end game of theprocess. We are already inmid-May, though, and somuch remains to be done. It is clear to us that to maximize the like- lihoodof getting the legislationweneed this year, your sustainedpersonal engagement isneeded. AFSAasks that youweigh innow with letters andphone calls tokey senators and representatives. We certainly under- stand that you have an overflowing plate of vital issues. At the same time, in terms of the almost 14,000 active-duty Foreign Service employees, there is no higher pri- ority than ending the pay disparity. This issue is one of basic equity and fairness to those who sacrifice to advance peace and stability around the globe. We were gratified when you said in March: “Our nation has the finest diplo- matic corps in the world andwe’re asking more of them today than ever before. All across the globe, the men and women of the State Department are serving honor- ably, far away from their homes, and very often far away from their families as well. In fact,many are on the front lines in some of the toughest places in the world, serv- ing shoulder to shoulderwithourmenand women in uniform and risking their lives for the sake of our country.” We believe that this strong message must be accom- panied with practical suggestions to Congress to improve the lives of our diplo- matic corps and their families. Your lead- ership in addressing comparability pay problems nowwill goa longway inachiev- ing the end goal. Thankyou for defending the image and integrity of the Foreign Service and dis- pelling inaccuracies when they arise. We count onyour support aswe try to address this key issue. Respectfully yours, J. Anthony Holmes AFSA President A F S A N E W S AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Seeking AFSA Post Reps AFSA needs volunteers to serve as post repre- sentatives to help keep headquarters connected to the 70 percent of our membership posted over- seas. The authority and responsibilities of an AFSA post rep are spelled out in the AFSA Chapter Manual ( www.afsa.org/postreps/manual.cfm ) . For more information, or if you don’t know if your post currently has an AFSA rep, check in with the AFSAmembership department at member@afsa.org. LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE ON OVERSEAS COMPARABILITY PAY AFSA Urges Secretary to Push for End to Pay Inequity BOOKFAIR Opens Oct. 13 Plan ahead! Save some time to attend the 47th annual BOOKFAIR of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide. BOOKFAIR opens on Friday, Oct. 13, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 21. It will be held in the Diplomatic Exhibit Hall on the first floor of Main State. In addition to secondhand books from all over the world, BOOKFAIR will once again feature the Art Corner, Collectors’ Corner and an assortment of coins and stamps.