AFSCME Local 3655 Members Speak Out After COVID Outbreak

Outbreak at Largo MVA Prompts AFSCME Local 3655 Members to Speak Out

Last week, there was a COVID outbreak at the MVA branch office in Largo, Maryland. Up to five, AFSCME Council 3 members have been infected and one employee has died after contracting the virus at the workplace.  AFSCME has demanded to bargain about this emergency and the Hogan administration has refused. These members are in daily contact with the general public because of the vital services we provide. 

AFSCME MVA local President and Council 3 Mildred Womble said, “My heart goes out to our members who are dealing with this crisis.  This was all preventable if management had taken the safety of their employees seriously.  Instead they have put frontline workers in grave danger.  The only reason some of our members are quarantining now is because co-workers contacted each other, the Hogan Administration and its contact tracing team failed them.”

AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran said, “Throughout this pandemic the Hogan Administration has failed his employees at each turn.  His administration didn’t supply enough PPE, they didn’t fix or upgrade ventilation systems, they won’t compensate employees coming to work, unable to socially distance. The administration won’t test all state employees returning to work and has failed to be transparent about how many of our brothers and sisters are getting sick with COVID-19.  By our count, just what our members report to us, over 900 state employees have contracted COVID while work and at least, now, 3 have died.”

Please stay safe and remember you can use the Workplace Checklist for Prevention of Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Virus on AFSCME Council 3's website to analzye and identify weak points for exposure in your workplace. Click here to view the checklist!

Read one of the articles covering this outbreak and share with your co-workers.

Maryland MVA Employee Dies From COVID-19, Four Others Test Positive | DCist| October 15th, 2020

https://dcist.com/story/20/10/14/maryland-mva-employee-dies-from-covid-19-four-others-test-positive/

Motor Vehicles Worker Is Third State Employee To Die From COVID-19, AFSCME Says | Patch | October 15th, 2020

https://patch.com/maryland/across-md/motor-vehicles-worker-third-state-employee-die-covid-19-afscme-says

Diagnostican con COVID-19 a 5 empleados de MVA en Prince George’s; uno murió | October 14th, 2020 | Telemundo

https://www.telemundowashingtondc.com/noticias/local/diagnostican-con-covid-19-a-5-empleados-de-mva-en-prince-georges-uno-murio/2020426/

D.C. region’s coronavirus caseload hits two-month high; officials say small gatherings are fueling rise | Washington Post | October 14th, 2020

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-dc-maryland-virginia/2020/10/14/e831ea96-0e0f-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html

5 Employees at Largo MVA Branch Contract COVID-19, 1 Dead | NBC4 | October 13th, 2020

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/5-employees-at-largo-mva-branch-contract-covid-19-1-dead/2443871/ 

MVA worker is third state employee to die from COVID-19, AFSCME says | October 13th, 2020 | WTOP

https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2020/10/mva-worker-is-third-state-employee-to-die-from-covid-19-afscme-says-2/ 

'People are terrified to go to work' | 5 Largo MVA employees test positive for COVID-19 | WUSA9 |October 13th, 2020

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-outbreak-at-largo-mva-5-positive-tests/65-6dc33a7e-271b-4c39-ac25-11c9a88a1850

MVA Worker Is Third State Employee to Die From COVID-19, AFSCME Says | Maryland Matters | October 13th, 2020

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/10/13/mva-worker-is-third-state-employee-to-die-from-covid-19-afscme-says/

Md. Dept. of Transportation says 1 MVA employee has died after 4 tested positive for COVID | ABC |October 13th, 2020

https://wjla.com/news/local/mdot-confirms-1-employee-has-died-after-5-staff-members-tested-positive-for-covid-19

Maryland MVA employees say they learned of coworker's COVID-19 death via social media | FOX5 | October 13th, 2020

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/maryland-mva-employees-say-they-learned-of-coworkers-covid-19-death-via-social-media