When bad weather strikes, the State doesn’t come to a standstill. Depending on their role, some public service employees are required to show up for their jobs to keep Marylanders safe. Workers in 24/7 Eastern Shore State facilities showed up for their shifts in the dangerous January weather on the 4th and 5th.
Temperatures dropped to a bone-chilling 12 degrees on January 5th with heavy snow closing State offices on the Eastern Shore for two days. Despite putting in full shifts, many State employees were denied pay for their work. Management sent out the Weather Related Determination on January 11th stating only day-shift employees would get release time and additional pay for the two days.
Council 3 members working in the 24/7 Eastern Shore State facilities contacted their staff representative about being denied pay for their work – a violation of the Union’s MOU. That’s when Jack Hughes, Representation Coordinator for Council 3, stepped in to make workers whole and hold the State accountable.
“When inclement weather shuts down government offices, public service employees still are working around the clock clearing roads, ensuring safe driving conditions, providing care at mental health hospitals and securing correctional facilities,” Hughes said. “For management to deny fair pay in these circumstances, it is an insult to the hard workers who do so much to keep our state running.”
Hughes demanded that management fairly compensate workers in 24/7 facilities for all shifts, not just day-shift as the Weather Related Determination originally announced.
Pressure from our Union members and staff representatives resulted in management reversing the Weather Related Determination. Instead of only day-shift workers receiving pay, workers on shifts from 6 a.m. on January 4th through the end of day shift on January 5th would receive the compensation they earned.
“We stood our ground because when State employees put in a fair day’s work, they deserve a fair day’s pay – especially in dangerous conditions like heavy snow and icy conditions,” Hughes said. “They’re putting their lives at risk to ensure the safety of their fellow Marylanders. The very least Management can do is pay them what they’re owed.”
