In June and July, we had two in-person bargaining sessions with the University System of Maryland (USM), one at the AFSCME Maryland office in Baltimore on Wednesday, June 28 and another at Frostburg State University on Thursday, July 27.
In both bargaining sessions, our AFSCME Maryland Higher Education Bargaining Team, made up of AFSCME members who work at all USM institutions across the state, came ready to present our proposals. The USM has been resistant to genuinely discuss any of our proposals.
We are fighting to ensure our rights as USM employees and union members are protected, to win fair wages that reflect the important work we do and the years we’ve worked, to end the two-tier employment system and the USM’s reliance on contractual workers, and to implement strong health and safety protocols and policies to address workplace bullying.
Here’s what Stephanie Lee, an administrative assistant at the University of Baltimore and member of AFSCME Local 3895, had to share about what it has been like bargaining with the USM:
“I’ve worked for the State of Maryland for 36 years — 10 years at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and 26 years at the University of Baltimore (UB). In my current role at UB, I ensure the law school’s clinic runs smoothly to help the law professors and students serve the community.
It’s no surprise that bargaining sessions can be slow and frustrating because management never wants to give us anything. They’ll sit at the other side of the bargaining table, collecting their six figure paychecks while they fight us on every single penny of a raise. Management thinks this is all just a game, but it’s not a game to us.
As we fight for our first unified contract for the entire USM, one of the most important things is tackling the pay scale and pay transparency. Right now, at UB, we’re told we need to call HR to even know where we’re at on the pay scale. There’s no clear wage progression for us. If I was still working at MSDE, I’d certainly be making more than I am now. And on top of all this, UB isn’t making efforts to hire as many administrative assistants anymore. They’d rather dissolve the positions and add more work to the administrative assistants that are currently here with no additional pay.
This bargaining process is hard, but Maryland has a new governor and administration that supports working people and unions. It will take all of us, and when we speak up and take action together, we will win.”
Before our next bargaining session, we hope you can come out to our UMD Do Better Rally on Wednesday, August 16 from 12:15 PM to 1:30 PM. Even if you can’t attend, invite your coworkers to attend and help support our fight for a fair contract. AFSCME members who work at the University of Maryland College Park will be speaking and sharing their stories.
Our next in-person bargaining session is on Wednesday, August 30 at the AFSCME Maryland office on Bush Street in Baltimore. We’ll also be doing a sticker action, so stay tuned for more details. In our upcoming bargaining sessions, it will be more important than ever to show the USM that we’re serious about demanding a contract with better pay and benefits, fairer leave and telework policies, sustainable workloads, safe working conditions, and more.