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became one of three members of the FSLRB, ensuring
that that body will have a Foreign Service perspective,
and AFSA’s first two appointees became members of
the FSGB in late 2016.
•
During 2016 I advised the AFSA State Vice President
on AFSA’s response to the Department’s appeal to over-
turn AFSA’s victory in the 2013 MSI case. I helped draft
the introduction and other sections of our response.
The FSLRB upheld AFSA’s victory in the first instance
and rejected the Department’s effort to overturn. The
most important element in AFSA’s victory is that it is
now settled law that the Secretary does not have the
“unilateral, exclusive and unfettered” authority to grant
MSIs, but can only do so under procedures negotiated
with the Union.
•
In mid-November I filed a request with the FSLRB to
render an “information and guidance” determination
on the Department’s utilization of Section 1018 of the
Foreign Service Act to justify its elimination of AFSA
dues collection for retiring AFSA members. The FSLRB
has docketed the Case as FS-PS-0002. We hope to have
a finding in the first half of 2017.
15
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