74 JULY-AUGUST 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA TERM REPORT been cut by more than 30 percent in some markets, while demand for services had more than doubled. Officers reported routinely working 50 to 70 hours per week, with home leaves and R&Rs delayed due to operational demands. Pay, assignments, and promotion delays remain a persistent issue, with Senior Foreign Service promotions experiencing unacceptable attestation backlogs. Performance awards are also inconsistently distributed, further eroding morale. FCS VP Joshua Burke has communicated openly and frequently to keep members informed of our successes and remaining obstacles. Several AFSA leaders and alumni joined FCS webinars and town halls, providing critical career insights for officers. During this term, AFSA’s role as a forceful advocate for FCS officers was apparent. The FCS profile was elevated within Commerce and on the Hill, ensuring their story was heard. And, most important, AFSA created momentum for the continued fight—because the reality is, this work isn’t done. The road ahead appears challenging for FCS: It may become a leaner organization with an updated mission and scope but will likely not become more efficient. On March 27, 2025, the administration issued a sweeping executive order designed to decertify unions from agencies on the basis of national security. The detrimental impact of this order on AFSA cannot be overstated. Mentioned in section 2 of the EO was the International Trade Administration (ITA), Department of Commerce. While AFSA is the only union at ITA, the EO excluded the agency from section 3, which focuses on the Foreign Service. Whether intentional or oversight, the way the EO was written means that ITA/FCS retains its CBA and all memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with AFSA for the time being. The week after the union-busting EO dropped, the FCS deputy director general sent a lengthy email to all employees regarding a dire budget situation. Not included in the fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution was a $200 million emergency funding package for Commerce, $50 million of which was requested by ITA. After tremendous infighting, FCS has been forced to absorb approximately $30 million in cuts. All options are being explored to reduce costs, and with the DDG’s email, there will be no PCSs and no language training for FY25 and likely part of FY26. Officers and their families are expected to remain in place and will be administratively extended for one year. It remains unclear what financial impact this will have on officers currently in language training. By all accounts, this is the worst budget situation FCS has faced in its 45-year history and could result in further downsizing of our organization. Together with AFSA, the FCS VP has spent this term fighting for colleagues and friends, for the mission, and for the recognition FCS officers deserve. Foreign Agricultural Service The 2023-2025 period was a joint effort between Lisa Ahramjian and Evan Mangino, both of whom brought an East Coast flavor of advocacy and diplomacy to the honor of representing the Foreign Agricultural Service. This period included the most substantive negotiation of the AFSA-FAS collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in more than a generation as well as the relocation of the AFSA office in the USDA south building from the Independence Street basement and up to sunnier accommodations. Across this span, Lisa and Evan continued to engage with and support our small but mighty cadre of Foreign Service officers and Foreign Service administrative assistants, ensuring their voices were heard and their challenges acknowledged. Early in 2025, the FAS VP signed a five-year CBA extension, solidifying the ground rules for labor-management engagement. AFSA maintains a strong interest in good faith negotiations to modernize FAS Foreign Service conditions of employment to better reflect 21stcentury realities. When FAS management is ready to engage in meaningful negotiations to improve performance management, the assignment process, and other critically important issues, AFSA will be ready to pick up where earlier teams left off. Extending the CBA ensured the FAS VP was available to represent FAS members full-time as the new administration launched a barrage of destabilizing measures to drastically reduce the federal government in size and scope. Throughout the tumult of early 2025, the FAS VP played a vital role in communicating with members overseas, disseminating guidance, analysis, and affirmation. The FAS VP ensured members had the necessary knowledge and context to assess the “Fork in the Road,” the “Five Bullets” exercise, and the prospect of significant reductions in personnel strength.
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