AFSA USAID Vice President Update: July 24, 2006
Here is your very last update from USAID Vice President Bill Carter. Please send any comments and questions to wcarter@usaid.gov.
One last time with feeling!!! Go Bosox!!!
1. Happy Trails: As noted previously I am retiring from USAID and this will be my last AFSANET as Vice President. I am happy to report that our elected USAID Representative, Francisco Zamora, has been appointed by the AFSA Governing Board to finish my term. I ask you to give Francisco the same support you have given to me. You can read my last FSJ column at July-August AID VP Voice.
2. USAID Tenure Board: The Tenure Board gave its debrief last week. AFSA is hopeful that a Notice will be published during the first week of August, if not before, publishing the names of those who were granted tenure this round. AFSA complements the Board on a very thorough and competent job. There will probably be some tinkering at the edges with new the system and form. Management will likely put out something more comprehensive, but two points that the Tenure Board made in reviewing the files are worth mentioning: (a) lack of attention in the preparation of some AEFs on the part of raters and (b) lack of humility in some of the employee statements. Remember that your AEFs are a permanent part of your file, so make sure what you say now is going to sound as insightful and brilliant 3-4 years from now.
3. Vigilance Needed: The new catchphrase at USAID is “Manage-to-Budget (MTB).” No one is against judicious use of taxpayers’ money; however, everyone must be cautious to assure that this management tool is not used in the assignment process to discriminate against employees on the basis of their grade or family size, etc.
4. Performance Boards: The reports on each employee prepared by the Performance Boards are now being mailed out by HR. Announcement on promotions is not expected until mid-August, although with some luck we may see them earlier.
5. FY2007 Appropriations – An Update: I will borrow the words of our AFSA/COLEAD colleague Harry Blaney here, as he puts this very well: “We understand that the Senate State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill may not come to a floor vote until after the August recess, according to the respective subcommittee. According to the Washington Post, both parties have indicated that the final bills may be converged into one big package to be passed after the mid-term elections. Although the 150 Account budget is not a hot-button election year issue, we expect that implications of other controversial bills will cause our bill to be included in this package. This potential result effectively eliminates any future debate on both the Senate and future conference bills; it is likely, though not certain, that the dismal figures that we have seen so far are here to stay."
6. Pay Raise and COLA Update: The Senate Appropriations Committee will do a mark-up this week on a bill that proposes a 2.7% pay raise for federal employees in January 2007. This is the same figure proposed by the House, but higher than the 2.2% preferred by the White House. Federal retirees will get the official word on the 2007 COLA by mid-October; however, it has been calculated that at this point in the year retirees have already banked a 3.1% increase towards the adjustment.
7. More on Money: It appears that the OE crunch may be abating: thus, AFSA will be pressing for the immediate resumption of the student loan repayment program (SLRP), as well as other benefits that were curtailed in the shadow of fiscal belt-tightening. Stay tuned for updates on this.
8. A Bit of Reading: News that you can use!
a) OPM and retirement planning.
b) More on pay-for-performance at the Department of Defense.
c) News from the TSP front.
d) A pay raise hitch?
9. Not the Same: Devoted readers of this last item will notice a bit of a change this time. My retirement is imminent at the end of this week, but my AFSA/USAID colleagues will soldier on. Contact Senior Labor Management Advisor Doug Broome at dbroome@usaid.gov, 202-712-0947 and VP assistant Asgeir Sigfusson at asigfusson@usaid.gov, 202-712-1941 will remain in their seats. My successor, Francisco Zamora, will move into the AFSA office on Monday, July 31. Francisco will no doubt adhere to the same “open door” policy that has been in effect here for the last three years. You may reach Francisco at fzamora@usaid.gov or 202-712-1631.
