The Department of State and Contract Employees

At the Department of State we have a variety of different types of employees. There are Foreign Service, Civil Service, Personal Services Contract, and Third Party Contract employees. We are all working toward the same goals and none of us is intrinsically better than another.

As the Union for most Civil Service employees AFGE advocates for the interests of Civil Service employees but many of us have good friends who are one of the different type of employees. They are our colleagues. We would like to see many of the Personal Service Contract (PSC) employees and Third Party Contract employees join us as GS employees.

For example I have three PSC employees in my office who work with me. Two of them have been in the office since before I got there five years ago. I would like to see those employees become GS employee just like me.

I also have a Third Party Contract colleague who works with me doing identical work to me. I would like to have her join me as a GS employee. On the other hand, I have spoken to GS employees in other offices who are finding themselves blocked from progress in their careers because all the higher grade jobs are advertised as PSC positions. They don't want to give up their career status so they are unable to go after the promotion that they want.

It is particularly distressing to have the retired higher grade employees come back to double dip and block progress for the younger employees. There is work that retired employees can do filling in and mentoring. But that work should not include blocking career progression for employees moving up the career ladder.

Merit System Principles appear to be disregarded when retirees are slotted for jobs before they even retire. I asked Secretary Clinton to look into this at the July Town Hall Meeting. As the new VP and Second VP for AFGE Sylvester Hardin and I intend to bring this issue up at the highest levels of the Department.

While it is well and good to bring it up on Capitol Hill, we need to address management at the State Department about this concern providing specific examples like the ones in my office where the Department would be better served by the direct hiring of employees.