AFSA FCS Vice President Update: February 14, 2006

1. FCS Management has extended the submission deadline for Spring 06 mid-term negotiating items from February 1 to March 15, 2006. This means we need your input no later than the last day of February.

Some of the recent concerns that have been raised with us focus on bidding procedures, the evaluation cycle and ITA-738 requirements, inconsistency in class rankings over time, and the scarcity of positions for officers in Washington, D.C. Please have your voice heard so that we can choose the issues that bring the broadest impact and potential benefit to our officer corps.

Please consult the AFSA/FCS website at <http://www.afsa.org/cspage.cfm> for existing MOUs, Fall 2005 mid-term issues and any ideas you or those you know might be interested in pursuing, whether affecting assignments, promotions, pay for performance, benefits, etc.

We'll be sending one or more member surveys in the near future but probably of broader scope than the maximum 3 issues we are allowed in each mid-term and possibly not in time for this deadline.

2. All FCS officers and spouses are encouraged to follow up on the State ALDAC FLO survey: The Family Liaison Office (FLO) has initiated a worldwide survey of Foreign Service Spouses and Members of Household (MOHs) at post and in the U.S., to gauge interest and concern related to career development issues faced in their highly mobile global lifestyle. The survey is accessible at (http://www.4myopinion.net/qux/dosflo/) from January 30 through February 12 and perhaps longer (it's still working today Feb 13).

Donald Businger
Senior Advisor
DAS/OIO
Tel 202-482-9162/Fax 202-482-9087
Web-Site www.export.gov