After 5 years of organizing, AFSCME local 1885 at Morgan State has won its biggest victories. This week, the Morgan State Board of Regents passed a policy that would make all remaining contractual employees State, giving them benefits for the first time.
At the same time, they also passed a policy to raise the minimum wage for all campus workers to $15 per hour. “We’ve worked with Morgan State to address long-standing inequities in pay and benefits for our members. Under President Wilson’s leadership our partnership is taking a giant step forward,” said Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Council 3, the union for Morgan State employees.“
This Board of Regents action recognizes the hard work of frontline staff at Morgan State and is a testament to collaboration and visionary leadership.” The bargaining team, led by local President Michael Stewart and longtime Council 3 executive board member Geron Mackall have been agitating for change for years. They head back to the bargaining table in September to secure additional victories. If folks want to get more involved with this campaign email [email protected].
Read more in the Baltimore Sun:
Morgan State is offering benefits to 60 eligible full-time employees who have never had employee benefits provided by the school and increasing the hourly wage for 66 regular employees. The conversions of contract workers to regular employees will conclude by the end of the current fiscal year, officials said in the announcement.
Morgan State joins other Maryland universities in raising the minimum wage ahead of a 2019 state law that is gradually increasing the state’s minimum wage, now at $11.75, to $15 an hour by 2025 for companies with at least 15 employees. Johns Hopkins University announced in May that it planned to boost the minimum wage at its university and health system to $15 an hour.
