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. Today, we publicly announce: we are organizing with AFSCME Council 3.

We are organizing now because the Office of the Public Defender cannot achieve our mission while the workers of OPD do not have a voice. Black Lives Matter, and all our clients deserve high-quality assistance and representation in the fight against systemic racism and classism in the legal system. But we cannot fight for our clients without fighting for ourselves. Chronic underfunding, hiring freezes, budget cuts, and overwhelming workloads have resulted in staffing shortages, vast underpayment, and high employee turnover. Disregard for our health and safety has led to staff being instructed to return to work in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic without adequate protective measures. And a failure to prioritize the hiring, retention, and promotion of people of color has made OPD as a whole not reflective of the clients we serve.

Despite our clients’ Constitutional right to zealous advocacy, our funding from the State of Maryland has never been adequate to fulfill that guarantee. And while OPD’s administration has attempted to push the State to deliver the resources we need, these issues have persisted. Our clients bear the brunt of these sacrifices, and as their advocates, we demand a seat at the table so that their voices and ours can be heard.  

Colleagues: join us! Contribute your voice and your strength and your knowledge. We are strongest when we speak together, work together, and fight together, and it is when we are strongest that our clients prevail!

Not yet a member of the Maryland Defenders Union? Sign your card now! Need to know more first? Sign up for a virtual on-boarding session hosted by your OPD colleagues from the MDU organizing committee. Already a member? Get more involved by joining the organizing committee! Just email us at [email protected] to let us know you're interested.

In Solidarity,

The Organizing Committee