News

Save the Date! Nov. 18 Open Meeting on Compensation, Caseloads, and Core Staff Advancement

Mark your calendars for November 18, 2020 at 7:00pm, when the Maryland Defenders Union will be hosting an open meeting on the 3 C's!

What are the 3 C's? They are the centerpiece of the next stage of our organizing campaign. We are fighting for:

WHAT'S NEW WITH MDU #1

Welcome to the first edition of the official newsletter of the Maryland Defenders Union! It's an exciting time, as there have been a lot of recent firsts for the union:

OPD Salaries are Small and Stagnant

  • New core staffers are paid less than a living wage
  • New attorneys are underpaid compared to their student loan debt and their peers in the private sector
  • For each year spent working at OPD, the average core staffer’s salary increases just $378 and the average attorney’s salary just $1,316

An analysis of public salary data confirms what every OPD worker already suspects: we aren’t paid enough or given enough opportunities for advancement.

AFSCME Council 3 Locals Issue Joint Demands to Combat Ongoing COVID-19 Outbreak at Wabash Ave. Courthouse

Responding to the COVID-19 Outbreak at Wabash Ave. Courthouse

There is an active outbreak happening at the Wabash Avenue District Courthouse in Baltimore, Maryland.  MDU continues to learn of additional positive cases.  So while OPD management still refuses to meet with us about this crisis, we took matters into our own hands and conducted an emergency meeting with our union brothers and sisters who work at the courthouse. 

Breaking Down the OPD Workplace Survey Results

In mid-August, the Maryland Defenders Union sent a survey to the frontline workers of the Office of the Public Defender that asked a variety of questions about OPD and how it could be improved. We received a total of 187 responses from all over the agency, covering every district except one (District 12) and a number of the non-geographic divisions. Of those 187 responses, 119 came from attorneys, 60 came from core staffers, and eight from social workers. Respondents expressed their concerns with a wide range of issues but also showed significant agreement on several key principles.

MDU Demands Misdemeanor Amnesty During Pandemic

An extended version of this essay is published in the Atlantic, located here.

Why We Unionize

The way we’ve been doing things is not working. We face salary issues, problems with supervisors, concerns for our health and safety in the time of COVID-19, lack of resources for ourselves and our clients, and concerns over discrimination and racial inequities. 

“Power concedes nothing without a demand”: some much-needed progress on PPE?

collage of MDU workers in PPE

Less than a week after OPD workers announced the formation of the Maryland Defenders Union, OPD management may have stepped up to provide one type of PPE, but questions and concerns remain.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT!

We are the Maryland Defenders Union, an association of the frontline workers of the Office of the Public Defender whose labor is essential to the agency’s mission of providing outstanding representation to indigent clients. We are strongest when we speak together, work together, and fight together. Are you ready to join us?

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