At the previous September 29 bargaining session, the University System of Maryland (USM) shared their financial figures and pledged that they intended to finally counter all of AFSCME’s proposals.
In the October 17 session however, the USM failed to meet their own pledge and follow up with their own promises. By our count, the USM team has still failed to counter at least 15 proposed articles and countless sections of additional proposals that the AFSCME team has brought forward. The lack of effort, honesty, and care for AFSCME members, the hardworking employees who keep the campuses running, is evident by the USM’s lowball proposals and lack of counter proposals.
Below is a comparison of how far apart we are from the USM on key issues:
| AFSCME | USM | |
| Wages | Robust proposal that includes pay increases across the board, pay increases to reward longevity and experience, full merit pay for all employees, and a series of other raises. | Will only agree to raises that use money authorized by the General Assembly. No guaranteed merit pay. |
| Converting Contractual Employees | Convert all existing contractual employees to positions with full rights and benefits. Currently, contractual employees work alongside many of us but have no job rights or protections, no retirement benefits, and only limited health care. | Continue to exploit contractual employees with no plan to convert them to full-time employees with the same rights and protections, retirement security, and health care benefits that AFSCME members have. |
| Contracting Out Work | Protect the rights of bargaining unit employees by preventing/limiting any supplementing or contracting out of our work. | Will not protect employees’ rights or ensure employees will not lose work to expensive outside contractors without scrutiny or review. |
| Privacy & Surveillance | Protect employees’ rights at work, including protections from employer surveillance, misuse of AI (artificial intelligence), and spying. | No employee protections from surveillance, AI, or spying. |
In the last few bargaining sessions, it’s become increasingly possible that we may be forced to go through a fact-finding process. This would mean an independent arbitrator would review our issues and provide a written recommendation that is shared with the Governor and leaders of the General Assembly.
Our next negotiation session is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14th. The USM has also provided us with some additional bargaining session dates that we are reviewing.
Here is what Dawn Jackson, an Animal Operations Manager at the University of Maryland College Park and executive board member of AFSCME Local 1072, has to say about what it’s like to bargain with the university system:
“I’ve worked at UMD for nearly 40 years, and I remember spending my Monday nights going to Annapolis to fight for collective bargaining rights for those of us who work in higher education. With collective bargaining, we’re able to work with our bosses to agree to the terms of how we will work. It’s not something arbitrary that your department decides, but it’s an agreement that’s written down.
When you look at our AFSCME bargaining team, we have everyone from facilities to housekeepers to office workers to cooks — we always try to have a very balanced team. But when you sit against the other side, management’s side just has lawyers, heads of departments and HR, and also people who don’t even work on campus but are outside counsel. Our team does this important work on our own time (usually evenings and weekends), while the management team has the opportunity to work on this during their normal work hours. And often, our team is only granted a few hours to dedicate towards bargaining prior to each negotiation session.
For us, we do this work to benefit all of our coworkers. We want things in place that will ensure that all university system employees can receive benefits instead of just some. Each campus or department should not get to make up its own set of rules; there should be consistency in the policies and rules, and we should have a voice in how they are made.
At UMD, many of my fellow employees have concerns about pay equity and that newer people are coming in making more than those who have worked there for many years. There’s also concerns around retention, and I think proposals to help keep qualified people are important. I also really want to see some form of leave sharing or a leave bank. I have so much leave, and the university tries to take it back from me, but I wish I could give it to another coworker if they need it.
I have enjoyed working at the university, but I know that there are departments where people are being treated like crap. I believe in holding the university system accountable with regards to how they treat their employees on a daily basis. Our campuses are entrusted with some of the greatest treasures – the lives and education experiences of people’s children, the future! The campuses bring in so much money, but it doesn’t get shared with the employees who are the ones doing the work. We are indeed the hidden figures on our campuses, ensuring that they run smoothly and efficiently. Truly, the institutions work because we are here working, and we’re here 24/7, 365 days of the year.
It’s important for all of us to stick together so that we can show power and win a strong contract. It’s important for us to have a voice in the workplace, and this is how we ensure that we are treated with the respect and dignity that we deserve.”