Career Diplomacy by Kopp Harry Naland John K. & John K. Naland

Author:Kopp, Harry,Naland, John K. & John K. Naland
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626164703
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Published: 2017-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

American Foreign Service Association

No discussion of Foreign Service professionalism would be complete without mentioning AFSA.58 Founded in 1924 at the same time as the Foreign Service, AFSA is the professional association of career diplomats at State, USAID, the FCS, the FAS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. At the same time, AFSA is also, since 1973, the authorized collective bargaining agent—the labor union—for Foreign Service members.

As a professional association, AFSA works to protect and enhance the effectiveness of the Foreign Service. Operating independently of the State Department, AFSA lobbies Congress on issues including pay, working conditions, and funding for diplomacy. AFSA never takes positions on foreign policy issues. Its political action committee, by making campaign contributions equally split between Republicans and Democrats, opens doors on Capitol Hill for AFSA’s leaders to make their case. Styling itself the “Voice of the Foreign Service,” AFSA looks out for the interests of the career Service whenever the department’s leadership seeks to address some short-term problem by making personnel policy changes that would harm the long-term health of the Service. AFSA publishes the Foreign Service Journal and by 2016 had sold more than 110,000 copies of its book Inside a U.S. Embassy.

As a union, AFSA negotiates with the management of the foreign affairs agencies on personnel policies such as rules for promotion and assignments. AFSA’s in-house attorneys represent members who are accused of violating some rule or policy.

AFSA in 2016 had more than 16,500 members, representing nearly 80 percent of Foreign Service personnel, one of the highest voluntary participation rates of any public-sector employee group. Members usually include FSOs serving in senior management positions such as undersecretary for political affairs. Every two years members elect a governing board that includes representatives from all foreign affairs agencies and is led by a president who is often, but not always, a former ambassador. Retiree representatives on the governing board usually include former ambassadors and past AFSA presidents.

AFSA owns its headquarters building across the street from Main State. It has a $5 million annual operating budget and a $6 million scholarship fund that gives needs-based and merit-based college grants to Foreign Service youth. AFSA maintains the memorial plaques in Main State’s lobby, honoring the nearly 250 US diplomats who have died in the line of duty overseas since 1780.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.