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U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 
State Department Summary Responses
to Recommendations Contained in By Recommendation Recommendation 1: The Role of the Ambassador in Labor Diplomacy 1.1 President's Letter of Instruction to Ambassadors The President should emphasize in his letter of instruction to Ambassadors the importance of labor issues in American foreign policy. ACCEPTED. 1.2 Ambassador and DCM Consultations to include Labor Issues New Ambassadors and Deputy Chiefs of Mission should meet U.S. Government labor officials, labor leaders and others prior to departing for their posts. ACCEPTED. Recommendation 2: The Role of Labor Officers in the Missions and the Number of Labor Officers 2.1 New Labor Officer Positions The Secretary should substantially increase the number of new Labor Officer positions. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: Determination of the appropriate number of positions through the strategic planning process. The Department will determine the number of Labor Officer positions through evaluation of labor resource needs through the strategic planning process. 2.2 Key Senior Labor Officer Positions Certain critical Labor Officer positions should remain at or be upgraded to senior status. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: Determination of rank through the strategic planning process. The Department does not think it prudent to increase the number of senior Labor Officer positions without appropriate evaluation of labor resource needs through the strategic planning process. 2.3 Labor Officers' Time Spent on Labor Issues The Secretary should ensure that Labor Officers spend most of their time on labor work. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: Determination of use of Labor Officers' time through the strategic planning process. The amount of time a Labor Officer spends on labor work will reflect the importance of labor issues at his or her post. Proper emphasis on labor issues through the strategic planning process will result in the Labor Officer spending an appropriate amount of time on labor work. DRL/IL will also provide travel funding assistance on a case-by-case basis. 2.4 Labor Officer Placement and the Embassy "Country Team" The Secretary of State should issue a circular strongly urging Chiefs of Mission to include Labor Officers on their country teams. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: Address through the strategic planning process. The Department will not issue a circular urging all Chiefs of Mission to include Labor Officers on their Country Teams. The presence of a Labor Officer on the country team will be a reflection of the importance of labor positions within that post, which will be determined through the strategic planning process. 2.5 Support for Labor Officers (IT, Travel Fund, and HR Support) This recommendations suggests more resources in the areas of information technology, a dedicated travel fund, and support staff. NOT ACCEPTED, alternatives proposed: Current programs and the strategic planning process. Information Technology needs for Labor Officers can best be addressed through Department-wide programs. By affording labor issues appropriate weight through the strategic planning process, posts will better allocate appropriate funding for travel and human resource support for Labor Officers.
Recommendation 3: Expansion and Development of the Cadre of Labor Officers and Recruitment of Foreign Service Generalists 3.1 The Labor Promotion Track The State Department should restore the labor promotion track. NOT ACCEPTED. The State Department multi-functionality track is the most equitable and effective mechanism to provide promotion opportunities for Foreign Service Officers serving in global issue positions. 3.2 Recruitment of Generalist Foreign Service Officers into Labor Positions The International Labor Affairs Office should continue to aggressively recruit talented officers for labor positions. ACCEPTED. 3.3 Diversity in the Foreign Service The ethnic and racial diversity of the United States should be reflected in the faces and experiences of the officers sent overseas as our labor diplomats. ACCEPTED. 3.4 Labor and Other Global Experience as a Factor in the Ambassadorial Selection Process A statement by the President and the Secretary of State that labor and other global experience will be weighed favorably in the ambassadorial selection process would encourage FSOs to include labor and other global tours as part of their career development. ACCEPTED. 3.5 The Joint Award for Excellence in Labor Diplomacy The joint award should be put on a par with other State Department-wide awards. ACCEPTED. 3.6 The "Up or Out" System The State Department should consider a comprehensive re-evaluation of whether or not the "up or out" system is serving the Department's modern-day needs with respect to the development of expertise in global issues. NOT ACCEPTED. The "Up or Out" System is currently the most effective mechanism to provide advancement opportunities for talented Foreign Service Officers. 3.7 Hiring Persons with Labor Expertise Into the Mid-Level Ranks The State Department should re-examine its practice of not hiring persons with specialized skills into the mid-ranks. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: The State Department will continue to rely on the multi-functional promotion system to retain labor-related expertise in the Foreign Service while it carries out a longer-term evaluation of changing career patterns of professionals who may be interested in the Foreign Service. 3.8 Limited Non-Career Appointments The State Department should use limited non-career appointments where special expertise is needed and to fill the gaps in the labor program. ACCEPTED. 3.9 Placement of Organized Labor Representative on the Selection Boards The Secretary should place representatives from organized labor on the Foreign Service Selection Boards. ACCEPTED with following modification: Invited, not placed. Organized Labor representatives should be invited, like other public representatives, to serve on selection boards, but not institutionally placed on the panels. Recommendation 4: The Labor Department's Role in the Labor Diplomacy Program 4.1 A New Interagency Labor Diplomacy Committee The Advisory Committee recommends the establishment of a new Interagency Labor Diplomacy Program Committee to oversee the labor diplomacy program. ACCEPTED with following modification: Agreement in principle to establish a committee to manage the DOL/DOS exchange program. The Department in principle sees merit in an interagency committee to review the management of the DOL/DOS exchange program. The operations of such a committee, however, will have to be worked out by the two Departments. The Departments of State and Labor may consider other duties suggested for the interagency committee in the future. 4.2 The Role of the Labor Department with Respect to Overseas Labor Officers Positions. The Department of Labor should have more influence over the work of Labor Officers overseas (through the DOL/DOS exchange program and implementation of the Department of Labor's FY 2001 budget proposal for 12 overseas Labor Officer positions). ACCEPTED. 4.3 Labor Department/State Department Exchange Program The DOL/DOS exchange program should be institutionalized for the future through an MOU. ACCEPTED. Recommendation 5: The Labor Function in Washington 5.1 The Responsibility of the Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Over Labor Officers The Special Representative should have more authority over Labor Officers in assignments, grade levels, functions, and placement. In addition, the Special Representative should be granted primary authority over five Labor Officer positions to be determined. NOT ACCEPTED for new authority over Labor Officer assignments, grade levels, functions, and placement. Alternative proposed: Continued monitoring of the current relationships between the SRILA and regional and other bureaus. ACCEPTED for authority over a number of the five labor officer positions in Department of State FY 2001 budget request. 5.2 Permanence of SRILA position at Assistant Secretary Level The Special Representative position should be made permanent as a "Schedule C" political appointee, at the Assistant Secretary level. AND 5.3 Ambassador-at-Large Status for the Special Representative The Special Representative position should have Ambassador-at-Large status. ACCEPTED with following modification: The Secretary of State decided that the position should be permanent when she established it in 1999. However the question of appropriate rank requires further study. 5.4 The Resources of the International Labor Affairs Office The staff of the Office should be expanded to meet the new responsibilities regarding labor issues at State. ACCEPTED with following modification: Under negotiation. Though DRL/IL will likely receive some of the five new labor officer positions approved in the Department of State's FY 2001 budget, the final placement and rank of these positions remains subject to negotiation with the affected bureaus and the approval of the Director-General. 5.5 Placement of a Senior Regional Labor Advisor in Each Regional Bureau The Advisory Committee endorses the Administration's FY 2001 Budget request for five new Labor Officer positions in the regional bureaus. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: The final placement of the five new Labor Officer positions will be the subject of negotiation between the concerned bureaus and DRL/IL, with final approval from the Director-General. However, where-ever the new Labor Officers are finally placed, their work responsibilities will include regional as well as other global labor issues. 5.6 Placement of a Labor Advisor in the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau There should be a Labor Officer in the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau. ACCEPTED with following modification: Under negotiation. While the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs recognizes the utility of a Labor Officer in the EB bureau, final placement and rank decisions will be the subject of further discussions between DRL/IL, EB, and the approval of the Director-General. 5.7 The International Organization Affairs Bureau Covering the International Labor Organization The FSO covering the International Labor Organization in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs should be designated a Labor Officer. NOT ACCEPTED, alternative proposed: Though the Department agrees that the incumbent of this position should receive labor training and that IO will continue to consult informally with DRL/IL on possible candidates to fill the position, the position will remain an "International Relations Officer Generalist" ("IROG"). DRL/IL and IO also recommend the position be upgraded to reflect the importance of both labor issues and supervisory responsibilities in this position. 5.8 Labor in the Strategic Planning Process The strategic planning process, which determines the use of the State Department's resources, should reflect the importance of labor, among other global issues. ACCEPTED. Recommendation 6: Increasing Awareness of Labor Issues at All Levels of the State Department 6.1 Labor-Related Training in the State Department The Foreign Service must have broad-based knowledge and understanding of labor issues in the global economy. ACCEPTED with the following modification: Take advantage of current FSI programs and new training strategies. While acknowledging the utility of a review of labor-related training, M/FSI is already providing quality labor-related training and continues to develop alternative training strategies that with appropriate resource support, would improve labor-related training without recourse to certain more elaborate measures suggested in the Advisory Committee report. 6.2 The Annual Worldwide Labor Officers' Conference The Department should continue holding the Annual Worldwide Labor Officers' Conference and provide funding to enable as many Labor Officers as possible to attend. ACCEPTED. [end of document]
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