Council 3 Updates

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Brother Glen Middleton yesterday evening. Brother Middleton was a fierce leader who inspired so many of us in the labor movement today.

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.

Late on the evening of Friday, December 31st, 2021, AFSCME Council 3’s bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with the Hogan Administration for a new contract after months of difficult bargaining. This agreement provides for almost 12% in raises to the 20,000 members of AFSCME Council 3’s bargaining units.

After months of organizing and pushing through tough negotiations, we have secured almost 12% in raises between January 2022 and July 2023. AFSCME bargaining unit members will win:

​On Monday, January 3, 2022, State offices and facilities in the counties listed below will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6:00 pm.  Emergency Essential Employees should report as scheduled.  Non-emergency essential employees, who are required to report to the office or a worksite to work, should remain home.  Employees who are authorized and assigned to telework from home should work at home as scheduled unless leave is granted.  Home offices are unaffected by the closure.

The wins continue for University System of Maryland (USM) staff- last night Governor Hogan's veto of Senate Bill 9 was overridden. Late last week, AFSCME also won our fight to increase the $15 minimum wage for all USM staff. Read more about our victory here.

AFSCME Council 3 members are proud to declare victory in our fight to raise the minimum wage for all workers at the University System of Maryland (USM) to $15/hr. Yesterday, representatives from the USM confirmed that this increase would go into effect in January of 2022 after our union campaign across Maryland. When we fight, we win!

AFSCME Council 3 represents approximately 30,000 state and higher education employees across Maryland. Together, our union is a strong voice during the Maryland General Session because we work year-round to engage legislators and identify ways to strengthen Maryland's laws for all working people. 

Last week, AFSCME Council 3 and the State of Maryland had another hearing about the Emergency Pay Grievance. As discussed in the previous update, management has a team of Assistant Attorney Generals working to defeat this grievance.

AFSCME Council 3’s emergency pay grievance continues to move ahead despite repeated efforts from the State of Maryland to stop our case from being heard. The State Assistant Attorney Generals representing the management team are working as hard as they can to slow down this case. First, they are making a most likely unsuccessful and unnecessary effort to get the Circuit Court of Anne Arundel County to dismiss the emergency pay grievance after already being overruled at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Members on the frontline continue to risk exposure to COVID-19 simply by reporting to work. As the pandemic began and using federal funding, all employees were granted access to Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) to be used when exposed and prevent employees from depleting their own leave because of the risk assumed simply by reporting to work. AFSCME fought for a continuation of this policy and won an extension until June this year.