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23

Ongoing collective bargaining negotiations include: reform of the assignments process at the Department of State;

limited career extensions for certain categories of career members of the Foreign Service whose time-in-class is due to

expire; fitness for duty standards for Iraq; permissibility of audio and visual recordings during Diplomatic Security inter-

views; ensuring that AFSA maintains its bargaining rights; mid-level hiring at the FS-2 level and Foreign Service-to-Civ-

il Service conversions at USAID; changes to assignment procedures for the Foreign Commercial Service; and an initial

framework agreement for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Apart from formal labor disputes, AFSA communicates regularly with management from the foreign affairs agencies on

a wide range of issues impacting the Foreign Service career. These include but are not limited to danger and hardship

pay; same sex domestic partner benefits; employee and eligible family member security clearance issues; lodging and

meals and incidental expenses; the reform of USAID’s Human Capital and Talent Management Office; and the creation

of temporary duty housing programs for Foreign Service officers with USAID and FCS.

On her first day as

AFSA president,

Ambassador Barbara

Stephenson takes the

oath of office in front

of other members of

the 2015-2017 AFSA

Governing Board.