Assignment to a Salary Class.—

Sec. 404. [22 U.S.C. 3964] Assignment to a Salary Class.—(a) The Secretary shall assign all Foreign Service officers and Foreign Service personnel (other than Foreign Service personnel who are paid in accordance with section 407 or section 408) to appropriate salary classes in the Foreign Service Schedule. (b)(1) The salary class to which a member of the Service is assigned under this section shall not be affected by the assignment of the member to a position classified under chapter 5. (2) Except as authorized by subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 5, United States Code, changes in the salary class of a member of the Senior Foreign Service or a member of the Service assigned to a salary class in the Foreign Service Schedule shall be made only in accordance with chapter 6. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations (which shall be consistent with the relevant provisions of subchapter VI of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, and with the regulations prescribed to carry out such provisions) providing for retention of pay by members of the Service in cases in which reduction-in-force procedures are applied.