Council 3 Updates

Member Spotlight: John Clark

Sixteen years ago, John Clark was babysitting his granddaughter at home when he saw an advertisement on TV that Baltimore County Public Schools was hiring bus drivers.

Member Spotlight: Sabrina Razvi

Sabrina Razvi’s commitment to her community is evident both in her work as a Library Associate at the Severn Branch of Anne Arundel County Public Libraries (AACPL) and in her organizing efforts wit

Member Spotlight: Clint Stevens

For nearly 10 years, AFSCME Local 1459 Vice President Clint Stevens has worked as a high voltage electrician at the University of M

Statewide Emergency Pay Grievance Update: June 29th, 2021

June 2021 Update

The statewide pay grievance continues to go forward this week after extensive delays being processed by the Office of Administrative Hearings. This month we received motions to dismiss our grievances from the state and we are working on our response to these motions. The state is pretending that all state offices and buildings were fully open the entire time of the pandemic.

AFSCME Reaches Agreement With UB Management to Raise Wages

Earlier this month, AFSCME Council 3 made an agreement with management at the University of Baltimore (UB) to raise the minimum wage on campus to $15/hr.

Thirty employees at UB will receive an increase to make at least $15/hr start July 1st. Current staff working at UB will see an increase based on years of service. Read the Signed Agreement here: https://www.afscmemd.org/system/files/signed_afscme_wage_side_letter.pdf

Hogan Vetoes Show Governor's Anti-Worker Bias

Friday, May 28 was not a very good day for workers, mass transit, health, and safety nor government transparency and accountability.  Governor Larry Hogan ensured this by vetoing some of the most important legislation to come out of the 2021 General Assembly session, including bills that were AFSCME-supported.

AFSCME Meeting with USM Despite Hogan Veto & Prepared to Fight

During this year’s legislative session we beat the entire University System of Maryland (USM).  We won, with veto-proof majorities, the right to bargain one master contract for all our members in the USM, just like we do for the state employees.  On Friday, the USM delayed the inevitable.  They relied on lame-duck Larry Hogan to delay bargaining by vetoing our legislation, SB9.  

AFSCME Continues to Fight for Expanded Retro Pay

Some state employees received a limited amount of response pay for working and reporting during the pandemic. Throughout this crisis, AFSCME Council 3 members have never hesitated to report to work despite the many unclear and unknown risks of exposure. Our union has been fighting for any workers required to report to their physical workplace to receive hazard pay!

AFSCME Reaches Agreement with DBM Over Retro Response Pay

AFSCME has reached a signed agreement with the Department of Budget and Management over retro pay for DBM’s COVID-19 Response Pay. This differential was restarted on April 7th for both the $3.13 response pay and $5.13 quarantine pay for classifications as designated by the Department of Budget and Management- click here to review the list. 

Looking at the Fights Ahead: Preparing for 2022

AFSCME Council 3 members are already preparing for the fights ahead in next year's legislative session. 2022 will be an important year for our union and for Maryland. Next year, we will elect our next Governor, Comptroller, State Senators, and State Delegates. This is our time to elect new leaders and positively change the direction of Maryland's public services. 

May Day 2021 Message from President Patrick Moran

This year, we recognize Workers Memorial Day (April 28th) and International Workers’ Day (May 1st) remembering those workers who were injured, became ill, or died because of hazards like COVID-19 at work. We honor the sacrifices of Maryland’s public service workers throughout the past year and leading our recovery effort. I hope each of you takes a moment to pause and acknowledge what we have endured over the past year.