There's one thing all OPD employees can agree on – our workloads are far too high. Attorneys are swamped with cases, social workers are spread too thin across the whole agency, and core staffers are doing the work of two or three employees. It's bad for OPD workers and especially bad for our clients.

And what's worse is that OPD management hasn't shown any interest in fixing these problems. For example, at this year's legislative hearing on OPD's budget, Paul DeWolfe didn't fight for more resources for OPD attorneys, social workers, or core staffers – he asked for greater funding for panel attorneys. Management is content to rely on inaccurate data and outdated standards and act as if everything is fine.

That's where the Maryland Defenders Union comes in. We've launched a survey to collect meaningful data on what workloads OPD workers are actually carrying. We'll use the information we collect to understand what changes need to be made at OPD and to advocate for OPD workers inside the agency and in the Maryland Legislature.

Please complete the survey today. It should only take a few minutes, and consists of questions designed specifically for each job category at OPD, so you won't have to skip over any irrelevant sections. Then take a moment to send the survey to some coworkers and encourage them to complete it too! The more people we hear from, the greater our impact will be.

If you have questions or responses that don't fit into the survey, please email [email protected]. And keep up the fight for our clients and ourselves!