Maryland State Supervisors Vote Overwhelmingly to Join AFSCME Maryland

 

Annapolis – After three weeks of voting, nearly 5,000 supervisors employed by the State of Maryland have joined AFSCME Maryland, Council 3. This new bargaining unit is made up of supervisory employees who belong to Unit S in agencies across the state. Now, they will begin the process of bargaining their first union contract.

 

“We work alongside state employees who are working towards the same agency goals as we are but they had a stronger voice and a union contract to ensure their hard work was rewarded and respected,” said Walter Moore, Jr., a Security Attendant Supervisor at Springfield Hospital Center. “Now that we’ve certified our union, we can finally work on solutions like overtime pay, workload levels, and more.”

 

The result of the mail-in ballot election conducted by Maryland’s Public Employee Relations Board showed that an overwhelming majority of supervisors voted for AFSCME Maryland Council 3.

 

"We are proud to welcome nearly 5,000 state supervisors into the AFSCME family and congratulate them on winning their union,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.  “They know a voice on the job is essential for ensuring workers have what they need to continue delivering critical public services and strengthening our communities. Now that they officially have a seat at the table, they can advocate for — and win — workplace improvements that will benefit all Marylanders.”

 

“For decades, AFSCME Maryland has been the largest union for state employees,” said AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran. “Now, nearly 5,000 state supervisors finally join the rest of their AFSCME family in securing a union contract. Together, we will build on the power of the AFSCME Green Machine and continue to win the raises, rights, and respect that workers deserve.”

 

“Safe working conditions, proper staffing levels and ensuring every one of my coworkers makes it home to their family at the end of their shift – those are reasons why we need a strong union voice and why I worked so hard to secure today’s win,”said Yolanda Downing, a Correctional Officer Lieutenant at the Chesapeake Detention Facility. “We have built a strong team that is ready to get to work to negotiate the best union contract possible for supervisors.”

 

Today’s election is the result of a process that began more than a year ago with state supervisors working with AFSCME Maryland to pass HB 260/SB 192, legislation that  granted Unit S state employees collective bargaining rights. Governor Wes Moore signed the legislation, one of the largest expansions of collective bargaining rights in the state in the last few decades, in April surrounded by AFSCME Maryland Supervisors Union leaders.

 

Nationally, state supervisors in Maryland join other supervisory employees in Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Minnesota, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Florida as having organized with AFSCME, as have county supervisors in Prince George’s, Baltimore City, and Howard County. 

 

“With our union, we as supervisors can finally have a say in workplace policies that affect us, such as expanded hours, how our scheduling works, how comp time works, and more,” said Michael Lawson, Acting Assistant Superintendent/Bus Maintenance Supervisor at the Maryland Transit Administration. “We are experts at how our agencies and offices operate, and now we have a seat at the table to weigh in on decisions that shape our work, our services, and our agencies.”

 

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