The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2023 75 AFSA REPORT Labor Management is currently overseeing 776 cases, whether open or in abeyance, on behalf of AFSA members. the procedures for making certainWashington senior assignments. These disputes are pending. The ULPs were filed, first, against the State Depart- ment for failure to provide documents that formed the basis of a discipline decision and, second, against USAID relating to what we view as a pattern of bad faith bargain- ing. The ULPs are pending with the Federal Labor Rela- tions Authority. All these issues, among others, led to a higher number of requests for assistance in the current board term—more than 4,000 at the time of this drafting. That is roughly 1,000 more in a period that is two months shorter: July 2019 to May 2021 was 3,200, whereas July 15, 2021, to March 2023 is just shy of 4,200. In our database tracking, at time of drafting 398 cases had been opened, most from State (328), followed by USAID (50). The most common categories were griev- ances (92), investigations (74), office of civil rights com- plaints (60), and discipline-related issues (48). A total of 776 cases remain open or have been put temporarily in abeyance while awaiting agency action (see figure). Membership A FSA’s membership team works with the class orientation coordinators at each agency to find a time to introduce the association to new Foreign Service colleagues. Traditionally, new classes are welcomed for lunch at AFSA headquarters. When in-person events became impos- sible during the COVID-19 pandemic, we turned to virtual formats to introduce AFSA and its work in support of members throughout their career. In May 2022, we were grateful to host once again in-person lunches—the first in two years! It has been wonderful to welcome new members in person, and we have developed a roster of table hosts—active-duty and retired FS members—to participate in these events. The change to a combined orientation for generalists and specialists at State has resulted in having not just one, but a series of three lunches to welcome everyone in classes that can include more than 200 people each. We have continued in-person lunches for all agencies hosting orientations in Washington, D.C., hosting more than 1,000 new colleagues. AFSA’s overall membership remains steady at just over 16,600, and we are proud to say that more than 80 percent of active-duty members choose to join AFSA. We have also seen growth in retiree membership over the past two years as more members retain their mem- bership post–Foreign Service. Programming is now accessible to members regard- less of where they are, as AFSA continues to offer frequent virtual programs on a variety of topics. We’ve had more than 7,500 attendees for our virtual programs during the 2021-2023 Governing Board term. In addition to traditional programming, including town halls, author talks, and presentations on retire- ment benefits and professional issues, AFSA has designed webinars on topics of interest such as “How to Write Your Best EER Ever!” and “Volunteerism: How Can the Foreign Service Best Contribute?” AFSA also offered in-person events focused on bringing members together, including happy hours to celebrate USAID’s 60th anniversary and, this year, the 50th anniversary of AFSA as a union. In recognition of Foreign Service Day on the first Friday in May, AFSA organized a variety of activities dur- ing that week each year, including the rolling moment of silence at embassies and consulates around the world, the memorial plaque ceremony at the State Depart- ment, a social media campaign to raise awareness of the work of the U.S. Foreign Service, and AFSA’s annual open house for members. The long-standing AFSA post representative program helped us keep in contact with members overseas, and we thank those who volunteer to serve in these roles. In coor- dination with post reps, President Rubin has continued to meet with first- and second-tour (FAST) officers to share AFSA’s advocacy priorities and hear from our members.