THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2023 35 believed was virtually unsolvable due to the statutory nature of the problem. The backstory of how pay parity in DETOs was achieved offers vital lessons to anyone at State interested in the power of internal advocacy. In 2021 CS employee Michelle Neyland was looking for a way to accompany her Foreign Service spouse overseas and still hold on to her own federal job of 14 years. A DETO position seemed like a great way to keep the family together while continuing her career with State. “We don’t have that many options as eligible family members [EFMs] overseas. Sometimes we can find jobs in the local economy or the embassy,” Neyland said. But even though U.S. missions make every effort to create viable employment for EFMs, embassy jobs are not always available and may not match the more sophisticated professional skill sets of CS employees. So Neyland took a DETO job—and the 32 percent pay cut— and immediately began working on a fix. She organized a committee of like-minded colleagues from both CS and FS ranks to form an internal advocacy group. They created communications channels on Teams and Facebook, participated in town halls, and requested meetings with senior leadership. They researched the Foreign Affairs Manual, the Foreign Affairs Handbooks, and statutory guidelines; and they consulted with State Department lawyers, concluding that the only viable solution was a legislative fix. The network and the advocacy effort grew in size and momentum, involving more than 65 employees across the State Department, including Military and DoD Families @ State, Balancing Act, and other employee groups. They worked closely with GTM, management, and the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion; consulted with unions AFSA and AFGE to explore legal options; and connected with FS employees serving as Pearson Fellows in congressional offices. Finally, with support from AFSA and two Pearson Fellows, Annie Wiktowy and James Allman-Gulino, the coalition had success on the Hill. Congressman Joaquin Castro’s (D-Texas) office drafted legislation, which Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) office successfully introduced as an amendment to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s State Department Authorization Bill, and it made its way successfully into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA was signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 23, 2022, with the hard-fought CS DETO pay equity language included in Section 9717, now allowing for CS DETOs to receive either the same overseas comparability pay that FS employees do or their home office locality pay, whichever is lower. Two years in the making, this was a stunning legislative fix and a massive win for hundreds of Civil Service, Foreign Service, and military families that immediately improves DEIA and retention outcomes at the State Department. It was announced to State employees by GTM on Jan. 5, 2023, in a cable aptly titled “Taking Care of People.” Advocacy + Institutional Buy-in This extraordinary success can be attributed to the advocacy group’s careful organizing and GTM’s proactive efforts to find solutions. The bureau’s WorkLife Division is effusive in its enthusiasm to grow the DETO program and has been working hard to tackle some of the biggest complaints with creativity and empathy. For one thing, GTM is developing an app to increase efficiency and transparency in applying for DETO and remote work, a significant step forward for streamlining the onboarding process. Expected to launch sometime in 2023, the new technology will eliminate the onerous system of sending PDF documents While serving on a DETO from Malawi, FSO Amelia Shaw advocated with GTM for changes to the “same-status” rule to give greater support to officers returning to FSI for long-term training. COURTESY OF AMELIA SHAW The DETO program has been gaining popularity and has grown rapidly at State since its advent in 2009.
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