What is a Post Representative (Post Rep)?

AFSA is an international organization, with chapters in most countries and informal groups in many bureaus and offices. These groups are led by Post Representatives, active duty Foreign Service employees who donate their time to assist fellow employees with management-related problems and professional concerns, and to pass on to AFSA the views of its members in all the Foreign Affairs agencies.

The AFSA Post Rep represents both the collective and individual interests of the Foreign Service personnel at post in dealing with post management.

You may do that by:

• Acting as the AFSA point of initial contact for post members experiencing particular difficulties which may lead to a grievance action.
• Distributing throughout the bargaining unit any information of general interest that AFSA Headquarters sends to post.
• Forwarding to AFSA any proposals, complaints, or criticisms originating with the bargaining unit members at your post.
• Representing the members of the AFSA bargaining unit in dealing with post management on matters of general interest.
• Building AFSA's membership and raise AFSA's profile at post.
• Maintaining current membership lists and periodically forwarding it to AFSA Headquarters.

Here are just some of the issues AFSA chapters and representatives have been engaged in:

• Housing: orderly and just allocation, and housing board policy.
• Overtime: this may vary as legislation and regulations change. Rosters for duty officers, duty secretaries and duty communicators.
• Security Problems: especially physical security and protection against terrorist attacks.
• Commissary associations and commissary management.
• Job descriptions and greater responsibilities for secretaries.

Ineligibility: Who Cannot Serve as an AFSA Representative

Employees currently serving in positions designated as "management officials" or "confidential employees" are excluded from the bargaining units in the Department of State, AID, FAS, and FCS for which AFSA is the exclusive representative. Also excluded from the bargaining units are employees engaged in personnel work in other than a purely clerical capacity. Those employees therefore cannot serve as the designated AFSA Post Representative. However, they are free to belong to AFSA, to vote in AFSA elections, and to participate in AFSA activities, except to the extent that such participation would create conflict of interest with their official duties.

The Foreign Service Act (Section 1002(6)) defines "confidential employees" as employees who act in a confidential capacity with respect to an individual who formulates or effectuates management policies in the field of labor-management relations. "Management official" (Section 1002(12) is defined as an individual who:

• Is a chief of mission or principal officer
• Is serving in a position to which appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, or by the President alone
• Occupies a position which in the sole judgement of the Secretary [the AID or FAS Administrator, or the Director General of the CS] is of comparable importance to the offices mentioned in (A) or (B), above;
• Is serving as a deputy to any individual described in (A), (B), or (C);
• Is assigned to carry out functions of the Inspector General of the Department of State and the Foreign Service [AID, FAS or CS] under Section 209;
• Is engaged in the administration of [the Foreign Service labor-management relations program] or in the formulation of personnel policies of [AID, FAS, CS or] the Department.

In practical terms this means that those excluded are the Chief Of Mission, the DCM, the Management Counselor or Management Officer, the Human Resources Officer, the RSO and the OMSs who work in the front office or for the Management Counselor.

However, there may be exceptions to these positions, so posts should contact AFSA/Washington if questions arise as to whether a specific employee is in the bargaining unit.