The Foreign Service Journal, November 2006

A s I write this in mid-September, we are on the cusp of possible, but not assured, major changes both for the Foreign Service as a whole and for the Commercial Service in particular. The Foreign ServiceModernization Bill has just been introduced inCongress, andwe believe it has at least a 50-50 chance of approval. AFSA supports the bill, because it meets our num- ber-one objective of getting overseas comparability pay (also known as locality pay) for FS-1s and below. Comparability pay was implemented for the Senior Foreign Service in 2004, and is now embedded in base pay regardless of domestic or overseas assignments. The link- age of locality pay to pay for performance will undoubtedly causemajor changes in the ForeignService appraisal andboard reviewsystems, despite the fact thatwe, as a Service, already incorporate the principle of pay for performance in human resources manage- ment —certainly more than do our Civil Service colleagues at GS-15 and below. Aside from comparability pay, what else have your vice president and representa- tive been working on during their first year in office? I try to post regular updates on the AFSA Web site at www.afsa.org/fcs , though I cannot go too far into details if the issues are still under negotiationwithmanagement. But I offer the following update on key activities: • Management took about 11 months to respond formally to our fall 2005 mid- termproposals (outlined on the AFSAWeb site), and it now appears that we will reach agreement on our time-in-class proposals for the AFSA vice president and representa- tive and, more importantly, for our members. Stay tuned! • Management has notwarmly embracedour spring 2006midtermproposals (also outlinedon theWeb site) and, indeed, initially claimed“non-negotiability” for themost importantproposal,whichconcernedrevisions inpay-for-performance for seniors. There was some hope after a recent meeting that at least informal changes in a positive direc- tionmay be made. We have certainly laid down a marker concerning our deep inter- est in this subject for non-seniors aswell, thoughmanagement has not yet givenus even a hint about the allegedly-pending “balanced scorecard.” • Management has extended the deadline for the fall 2006 proposals to Sept. 30. We hope to table a couple of proposals, even though there has been little input from members. FCS Representative Will Center and I have attempted to follow a middle ground, seeking improvements in FCS and a cooperative relationship with management inso- far as possible, both in terms of AFSAmember benefits and the professionalismof the Service. While some progress may yet be made, after one year in office our glasses are considerably less rosy due to the lack of responsiveness bymanagement overall and the slowness of the process. The planned quarterly meetings with the director general are a figment of the imagination. The Senior Service again had to wait, this time until July 2006, for the Commerce Secretary toapprove apay-for-performance systemfor theperiodendingMay31, 2005! Indeed, while FCS rightfully prides itself on customer service to external customers— especially to our business clients —management can take little pride in the non-ser- vice it provides to internal customers, to its recognizedbargainingunit—AFSA—and to its members, the Foreign Commercial Service officer corps. V.P. VOICE: FCS BY DON BUSINGER Where’s Service for the FCS? 84 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / NOV EMB E R 2 0 0 6 A F S A N E W S USAID AFSA VP Enters Blogosphere I n an effort to increase USAID mem- bers’ awareness of and involvement in the work AFSA does, AFSA USAID VP Francisco Zamora has “dipped his toes” into the turbulent waters of blog- ging. He saw the need for a blog while reading the many comments he got related to the Lafayette Federal Credit Union plans to become a commercial bank. For the uninitiated, a blog is a “Web log” — in effect, an electronic journal on the Internet. A blog can give members a forum to provide informa- tion and input, as well as to express con- cerns on issues that affect the whole USAID FS community. Zamora intends to keep members updated on AFSA’s day-to-day efforts and to solicit comments. He will update the blog regularly, and readers can comment on each entry. This fea- ture will act as a supplement to the reg- ular AFSAnet messages. Find the USAID VP blog at www.afsa.org/usaid . Click on the (unmistakable) blog link. If you want to leave a comment (which you can do under your own name or anonymously), simply click on the “comment” link at the end of each posting. Zamora only asks that you please keep it civil. Any comments that include derogatory or inflammatory statements will be delet- ed. Zamora will respond to comments when appropriate, and will incorporate member views into the work of USAID/AFSA. AFSA is using a commercial host for the blog, and thus takes no responsibili- ty for any links or advertising overseen by it. It is our hope that this new enter- prise will increase the transparency of AFSA’s work and, as an added bonus, the often murky procedures of the agency. Send VP Zamora an e-mail ( fzamora@usaid.gov ) and let him know if you like (or don’t like) the blog. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS