ACTION ALERT: Take 2 minutes to send a message to Governor Moore and our state leaders that they need to meet us at the bargaining table with a fair wage proposal! A sample letter is provided that you can edit with your own experiences. You can send a letter here. Please share this link with your networks and encourage as many people as possible to send a letter!
On Wednesday, November 20, the AFSCME Maryland bargaining team met with the State for another wage negotiations session. The session took place at the AFSCME Maryland offices in Baltimore.
During the first part of the meeting, our union reminded the State that we are still owed crucial data to help inform our proposals. The State also provided a list of job titles that agency leaders wanted to be considered for an Annual Salary Review (ASR), a process that re-grades certain job titles so that their compensation is fairer and more competitive with the rest of the job market. With staffing levels still dangerously low and caseloads still unsustainable, the AFSCME team was incredibly disappointed to see that the list would re-grade just 3% of the state workforce that AFSCME represents. To make matters worse, the State said they actually had no interest in considering ANY annual salary reviews because of the looming state deficit.
The last thing the State presented was their counter to our union’s wage proposal. The proposal included just a 1% cost of living adjustment (COLA), 1 step increase, and an increase in the minimum wage to $18.04 in FY 2025. The AFSCME team deemed this proposal unacceptable and asked the State to leave.
It’s time to put pressure on our state leaders!
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 3 at 10:00 AM (meet at 9:45 AM) for a press conference and rally at State Center in Downtown Baltimore to call attention to the staffing and infrastructure crisis in our state facilities! Don’t let our state leaders balance the budget off of our backs!
Our Union Power Comes from You
When it comes to negotiations, your membership matters. When our membership is strong and united, the State takes us seriously, which means being able to win big at the bargaining table. If you are not currently an AFSCME member, you can join at www.afscmemd.org/join.
NOTE: Access to bargaining information is limited to bargaining unit employees (units A, B, C, D, F, and H). Be aware that details of proposals, counterproposals, and related discussions in closed collective bargaining sessions are private and confidential communications protected from unilateral public disclosure during collective bargaining negotiations under SPP § 3-501(e). Such details should not be made public while collective bargaining negotiations are taking place. The above materials in this post include details and therefore should not be circulated to the public or publicly.