AFSA FAS Vice President Update: July 2005

Locality Pay: Our biggest issue continues to be overseas comparability pay, aka locality pay, for employees grade FS-01 and below. The gap between overseas and Washington base pay has gotten worse (reaching 16% in 2005) and will continue to grow if left uncorrected. AFSA has calculated that an employee who entered the service in 1995 will, with an average career of promotions and assignments, lose about $450,000 in salary and TSP contributions. For more information, click here: http://www.afsa.org/FASVP/FactSheet.PDF

USAA: AFSA finally has a response from USAA following its commitment to thoroughly review denial of membership to new FAS, AID and FCS Foreign Service officers. The current USAA Board has decided not to reverse the policy. This is wrong in our view, but for the time being we seem to have reached the end of this road. If members have other ideas on how to resolve this issue, we certainly welcome them. In the meantime, AFSA urges new FSOs to look at the insurance and other products advertised in the Foreign Service Journal as alternatives to the products and services you might have procured from USAA.

WPP: The results of the 2005 WPP were announced earlier this month. There were seven CS promotions, three stretches and one shrink. Four FSOs were temporarily assigned to training slots and two CS employees who were scheduled for mandatory rotation were given a one-year "pass". By contract, in 2004 there were eight CS promotions, zero stretches and three shrinks.

AFSA continues to be concerned that the WPP process disadvantages FSOs. If a primary objective of the WPP is to place returning FSO's, the fact that four officers were placed in training slots is a clear indication the WPP isn't working. Also, if you look at the percentage of FAS-Washington management and supervisory positions held by FSO's, it has dropped from 29% in 1995 to 25% in 2004. While the decline in the number of FSO's may partially account for this downward trend, the bottom line is that FAS has not put adequate performance measures in place to determine whether or not the WPP is achieving its objectives. Because job opportunity is so fundamental to the careers of FSO's, we need to ensure that the WPP is working effectively. Attached is a draft memo that AFSA intends to send to the Administrator. Comments and suggestions on the draft would be appreciated.

Performance Management Working Group: Thank you to Randy Hager, Clay Hamilton, Susan Phillips, Kurt Seifath, Eric Trachtenberg, Mike Conlon, Chuck Bertsch, Gregg Young, Daryl Brehm, Margie Bauer and Scott Bleggi for volunteering to participate in the FAA/AFSA Performance Management Working Group. The major objective of the group is to make recommendations on how our performance management system should be changed to meet the requirements of the Presidential Management Agenda. An on-line discussion forum for working group members is up and running on the AFSA website. We will keep you posted on our progress.

Human Capital Initiative: In response to an AFSA request, the Administrator has agreed to form a Human Capital Working Group. The working group will develop a strategic plan for the management of human capital, which is one of the key elements in the President's Management Agenda. The group, which will include representatives from AFSA and AFSCME, will be tasked with completing an initial draft of the plan by September 15. The Administrator intends to use the plan as a guide in alignment of staff resources with our strategic goals, and in the development of strategies for recruitment, employee development, and performance management in FY 2006. AFSA will strive to ensure that our concerns are addressed through this process. If you would like to participate in this initiative, please let me know. (Click here for a copy of the AFSA memo to the Administrator: http://www.afsa.org/FASVP/HCI.cfm)

Lateral Entry: FAS announced lateral entry on July 5. Prior to the announcement, AFSA and FAA collaborated to revise the KSAs to reflect the professional competencies for FSO's developed by the AFSA Management and Leadership Working Group. To review the competencies, click here: http://www.afsa.org/FASVP/CompetenciesPDF.pdf

Historical Promotion Statistics - Last year, during the lateral entry process, several applicants asked what their expectations should be for FAS promotions as they move up through the FS ranks. Unfortunately, HRD does not keep time-in-class statistics for FSOs. However, such statistics are readily available for other foreign affairs agencies. If you would like to compare your career progress with that of your colleagues at other foreign affairs agencies, you'll be interested in the following:

USAID

FO1 - spend an average of 5 years in grade
FO2- spend an average of 6 years
FO3 - spend an average of 2 years
FO-4 - spend an average of 1 year

STATE

FO1 - spend an average of 6 years in grade
FO2- spend an average of 6.5 years
FO3 - spend an average of 5 years
FO-4 - spend an average of 2.5 years

AFSA Awards: The annual AFSA Awards for constructive dissent and outstanding service were handed out on June 17 in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State. Catherine McSherry, (Rod's wife) received the M. Juanita Guess Award for her service to the community following the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Congratulations Catherine!

Are Pay Raises in Store for 2006? The House has just passed a bill setting the pay raise for civilian workers, including Foreign Service folks, at 3.1% for next year. This exceeds the President's request of 2.3%. The Senate is strongly expected to follow suit on this measure. Read all about it right here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/30/AR2005063001794.html. But all is not necessarily well when it comes to federal wages, as this article implies:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070400844.html.

AFSA Luncheon - Please join us for the AFSA Luncheon scheduled for Friday, July 22 at 12:30 p.m. at AFSA headquarters. All current and prospective members are welcome. We will be discussing the AFSA agenda for 2005 and 2006. (See attached list of priorities) Much of what AFSA does can impact on your career opportunities as well as your pocketbook. Please join us to help shape our agenda. We will also be commemorating Marty Patterson by giving away the Marty Patterson Scholarship Award to Elena Lower. Congratulations Elena!
What: AFSA Luncheon
When: 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22 (Please note the time change!)
Where: AFSA Headquarters, 2101 E Street NW (nearest metro is Foggy Bottom)

New Term and AFSA Priorities: A new AFSA Governing Board, led by Ambassador Tony Holmes, will take the helm on July 15. Among the issues the Board will grapple with are locality pay for FO-1s and below, limits on hardship allowance and danger pay, credit for unused home leave, the definition of family members; adequate funding for foreign affairs agencies to achieve and sustain a strong FS; and an adequate and uniform standard of security for all employees at all posts overseas.

Interested in Becoming the Next AFSA Representative? Just a reminder that Mike Conlon will soon be starting language training in preparation for his assignment to Japan. We are looking for a volunteer to step into Mike's shoes as the FAS AFSA representative. Major responsibilities include participating as a full member on the AFSA Governing Board to help shape the AFSA agenda and working with the FAS AFSA VP and FAS management on a wide range of FAS-specific issues important to Foss such as the assignment process, the WPP, and performance management.

Active participation in AFSA is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the other foreign affairs agencies and how they operate, proactively develop strategies to achieve results that benefit your FS colleagues, and to learn more about the issues and policies shaping our external environment and the future of the FS. If you would like to volunteer to be the next AFSA rep, please let me know by August 1. The time commitment, on average, is just a few hours per week. Please join me in extending our appreciation to Mike Conlon for his great work over the last two years. Thanks Mike! You've done a great job!

FS Journal: Click here to read an article written by the FAS AFSA VP which appeared in the April edition of the Foreign Service Journal: http://www.afsa.org/fsj/apr05/ScandurraArticleApr.pdf

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Interested in becoming a member? Click on the following link to obtain a payroll deduction form (SF1187) and fax the form to (202) 338-6820 or mail it to 2101 E St NW, Washington, DC 20037. http://www.afsa.org/mbr/index.cfm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laura Gabel Scan durra
FAS AFSA VP
14th and Independence Avenue SW
Room 0075
Washington DC 20050
Tel: 202-720-3650
Cell: 202-321-4972
Fax: 202-720-1139

Quote of the Day: "Once stretched, a mind can never return to its former limits."