Monday, March 20 was "Crossover Day", the deadline for a bill to pass either the House or Senate to be considered by the other and have a chance of being signed into law.
After nearly 2 years, a long-delayed analysis of staffing issues at Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) institutions will be wrapping up at the end of January and results
As part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government instituted expanded worker protection programs and provided federal funding to support recovery efforts. One of these key programs, Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL), has expired despite the continued risk of exposure frontline workers face to COVID-19 and its variants. In Maryland, this program was not extended denying frontline workers access to leave placing an additional barrier for exposed workers.
On Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, MDH Secretary Dennis Schrader and the Hogan Administration released a Master Facility Plan detailing recommendations for the 11 facilities MDH currently operates statewide including transitioning services and closing the Deer's Head Hospital Center and the Western Maryland Hospital Center. As a union, we’ve been here before. In 2016, when the Governor announced privatization plans at WMHC, Springfield, and the RICAs we came together and pushed back to defeat those plans. WE can do it again.
Legislators from the Senate Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee, and House Education and Economic Development Subcommittee held a briefing today to discuss higher education issues, with a specific focus on the fall reopening of campuses during COVID. Presenters included the University System of Maryland (USM), Saint Mary's College of Maryland, the Maryland Independent Colleges and Universities Association (MICUA), and AFSCME Council 3.
This October, AFSCME Council 3 will be hosting a series of Regional AFSCME Meetings to update members on the fight for a raise and respect for COVID-19 heroes and ongoing contract negotiations and legislative engagement. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings will be hosted on Zoom with options to call in.
Yesterday, September 14th, Judge Theodore Thibodeau ruled against the state’s motion to dismiss our statewide emergency pay grievance. This is another important step forward in our case which is the largest grievance ever filed against the State of Maryland. AFSCME Council 3 began this case 18 months ago when the Governor stopped compensating frontline workers with emergency pay for reporting in the earliest days of the pandemic.
State employees of Maryland have consistently pushed forward to contain the virus at work and stand up for healthy and safe workplaces and non-poverty wages. State employees have been successful in many of the efforts to gain fairness and compensation on the job, and as of July 1st, the state will start every employee at a minimum of $15 an hour. This is a result of our union, AFSCME, fighting at the bargaining table for several years to put state employees on a path out of poverty.
The inspector units in the state of Maryland do key work to keep the community safe. Amusement ride Inspectors make sure our kids are safe in amusement parks. The elevator inspectors provide a vital service that keeps everyone safe every time they step inside an elevator in Maryland. When you see those inspection tickets inside the elevator- these are the people keeping us safe. The boiler inspectors also make sure boilers throughout the state are functioning properly, such that we don't have to worry every time we enter a building with a boiler.
Members from AFSCME Local 1839 rallied on Monday, August 16th, to demand the University System of Maryland increase the minimum wage to $15/hr and respect frontline workers. AFSCME Council 3 represents almost 800 frontline staff who have worked hard with little respect throughout the pandemic including hundreds at UMB. University staff that AFSCME represents have wages starting below $15 per hour.
