Gov. Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott joined AFSCME President Lee Saunders, AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran and AFSCME members to encourage job seekers to apply to open public service positions
BALTIMORE – On saturday, Gov. Wes Moore, Mayor Brandon Scott, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran joined AFSCME members for a press conference on the urgent need to fill open public service positions throughout Maryland.
The press conference coincided with a hiring event at the AFSCME Council 3 Union Hall, where job seekers had the opportunity to meet directly with representatives from essential city departments and state agencies – including the Maryland Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Department of Health, and more.
From nurses to sanitation workers to corrections officers, chronic short staffing is undermining the effective delivery of public services that Marylanders rely on. That’s why AFSCME launched the Staff the Front Lines initiative this year, to partner with elected officials on recruiting and retaining the essential workers who keep our communities running. The Staff the Front Lines bus is stopping in more than 20 major cities across the country this summer and holding recruitment events in many of them.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEO FROM THE EVENT
Gov. Wes Moore said:“This is about creating pathways to work, wages and wealth – for all families, and not just some of them. No matter where you come from, no matter what your background is, no matter what your family lineage is, no matter what neighborhood you live in, no matter what zip code you call home, no matter what your prospects have been or what you thought they were, this is the place to make your dreams come true. And to make your dreams come true, that also means being part of something bigger than yourself… .a state that serves.”
Mayor Brandon Scott said:“I’m going to start off by saying the most important thing that I’m going to say all day: Thank you. Thank you to the women and men on the front lines who do this work each and every day in the spirit of public service to our city, to our state, and to our country… .Now, it’s well past time to give you your raises, to give you your support, to give you colleagues to help – and train them up, so they can replace you when you move up in your job. We have to staff the front lines.”
AFSCME President Lee Saunders said:“There are 840,000 jobs that are open in public service across the country. There are thousands of jobs here in Maryland, in state and local government that are open…. we’ve got to educate our communities. We’ve got to go to our young people and say that there are jobs that are available and they pay good wages with good benefits, good health care, and good pensions. Come and join us.”
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran said:“Here in Maryland, we’ve won more than 16 percent in pay increases for state workers in this last year. And thanks to Governor Moore, for those who have worked for the state for five years or more, we also won a longevity step increase of about 2.4 percent… .I know there are many people out there who are looking for some stability at work. They want the opportunity to build a career. If that sounds like you, come and join us in public service. Come find a great union job.”
To learn more about AFSCME’s national bus tour, visit StaffTheFrontLines.org.
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AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.