Press Room

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AFSCME Maryland Members Rally in Baltimore for Safer Staffing and Safer State Facilities

Union representing over 20,000 state employees rallies in Baltimore as part of a statewide tour to draw attention to critical staffing shortages and outdated state facilities

Howard County Library Workers Call for Fair Wages at Board of Trustees Meeting

After months of stalled wage negotiations, library workers demanded contract provisions that guarantee fair and comparable wages.

AFSCME Maryland Members Call for Safer Staffing and Safer State Facilities on Eastern Shore

Union representing over 20,000 state employees holding statewide tour to draw attention to critical staffing shortages and outdated state facilities

Union for DPSCS Correctional Officers Releases Report Showing Dangerous Understaffing in State Correctional Facilities

On Thursday, April 20, AFSCME Maryland Council 3, a union that represents thousands of Maryland state employees, held a virtual press conference to share the results of a report analyzing the dangerously low staffing levels at state correctional facilities across Maryland.

AFSCME Maryland Council 3 releases priorities for 2023 legislative session

This year’s priorities are focused on three major areas: leveling the playing field between workers and management, improving working conditions, and building a better Maryland for workers and their families.

AFSCME Maryland Reaches Agreement with State in End of Year Wage Negotiations

Today, AFSCME Maryland Council 3 reached an agreement with the State on wage increases for the coming year at the statutory deadline. Per the agreement, all state workers covered by an AFSCME contract who are eligible for a step increase will receive one in the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1, 2023. Depending on the position and agency, some state workers will receive additional pay increases and bonuses.

Workers at the Office of the Public Defender Win Union Election

Today, workers at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD) won their union election and have voted to certify AFSCME Maryland Council 3 as their exclusive bargaining representative. One bargaining unit will consist of core (administrative and support) staff, and another bargaining unit will consist of intake staff, investigators, social workers and attorneys. These two bargaining units span the entire state in 12 different districts and over 600 workers at the OPD.

University System of Maryland workers rally together ahead of September Board of Regents meeting

Today, members of AFSCME Council 3, joined by allies across Maryland, are demanding better treatment and a fair contract from the University System of Maryland (USM).

AFSCME Members Oppose Governor Hogan’s Proposed Master Plan Closing Western Maryland Hospital Center With Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Perez

Hagerstown, Maryland- AFSCME Council 3 members are coming together to oppose Governor Hogan’s proposed 2041 Master Facilities Plan which calls for the closure of Western Maryland Hospital Center and other facilities. In the Maryland Department of Health’s “2041 Facilities Master Plan,” released in September of 2021, they state one of their goals is “Identifying strategic partners to transfer services from Western Maryland Hospital Center in Hagerstown and Deer’s Head Hospital Center in Salisbury to healthcare and community providers”.

Unions and Community Partners, joined by Tom Perez, Urge Governor Hogan to Allow Workers Bills to Become Law Despite History of Vetoes

Unions and Community Partners, joined by Tom Perez, Urge Governor Hogan to Allow Workers Bills to Become Law Despite History of Vetoes Annapolis- The Governor has until April 8th to sign several presented bills into law, allow them to become law without his signature, or veto them. In his two terms Governor Hogan has vetoed numerous bills that would improve or impact Maryland workers and signed few into law. This year, working people and their unions are coming together to urge the Governor NOT to veto important legislation and obstruct further progress for working people.

AFSMCE Demands Funding and Immediate Action for Dangerously Understaffed Department of Human Services

ANNAPOLIS- Ahead of today’s annual budget hearing for the Department of Human Services, AFSCME members are speaking out about rampant understaffing and under-resourcing in the agency. DHS workers oversee adult and child welfare, provide benefits and assistance to families struggling economically, and many more services. DHS is our social safety net, and our members put the “human” in human services. As of January 2022, DHS has 882 vacant positions for a vacancy rate of 14.7% - the highest vacancy rate of any public safety, health, and human services state agency.