FREDERICK, MD – In a major victory for higher education workers, faculty at Frederick Community College won a tentative agreement on their first union contract. United Academics of Maryland Community Colleges faculty at Frederick are the first community college in Maryland to do so under the state’s new collective bargaining law for faculty, passed in 2022. The agreement would be the first contract for full-time faculty at the state’s community colleges.
Addressing pay inequities across the faculty, including up to 10% increases in the first year, the historic tentative agreement sets a new standard for community college faculty. The agreement delivers critical protections around academic freedom and shared governance—issues that are crucial on the campus and around the country, especially as higher education is under attack.
“I've been at FCC for almost 15 years and have desperately wanted to buy a place but never could due to my salary. After all of these years I finally feel like I'm moving in the right direction toward achieving that goal, which seemed out of reach before. I appreciate the immensely hard work of the bargaining team and everyone else," said Frederick Cope, union member and Frederick Community College English Department faculty member.
“As a full-time faculty member at Frederick Community College, I am grateful for the contract agreement that has finally been reached with Frederick Community College (FCC) Administration,” said Chris Sasse, union member and Frederick Community College Public Safety and Emergency Management faculty member. “I am also grateful for the wide range of community support we have received over these 16 months including Senator Karen Lewis-Young, Delegate Chris Fair, Delegate Karen Simpson, and Delegate Ken Kerr. There were hundreds of students, parents, and community stakeholders who also shared in our support, particularly those impacted by the Child Care Center closing.”
“Maryland’s community college faculty play a vital role in our higher education system teaching and supporting our next generation,” said AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell. “With this tentative agreement, we are setting a new standard for community college faculty that addresses pay inequities, offers critical job protections as every area of education is under attack, and ensures faculty have a voice. We will not stop fighting and advocating until all higher education faculty in Maryland have the rights, protections, and voice they deserve.”
“I am so proud of the Frederick faculty who, in the middle of a war on knowledge and higher education waged by extremist politicians, joined together to help their students and bargain the conditions and wages they need and deserve,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “The freedom to teach and to learn, the freedom to research and the freedom to be economically secure is at the center of their fight. And those freedoms are reflected in this historic contract, a first for full-time faculty at Maryland’s community colleges. Today’s triumph will inspire their colleagues, in Maryland and around the country, to realize that progress is possible and that together we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.”
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United Academics of Maryland is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which joined forces in 2022 to strengthen the voice of academic workers nationwide. AFT is the largest higher education union in the country, representing over 400,000 faculty and staff nationwide. Over 70% of all unionized faculty are AFT members.
In Maryland, AFT Maryland represents faculty and staff on more than seven community college campuses and remains a leading advocate in Annapolis for higher education rights and protections.
For more information, contact:
Samaria Sullivan
National Representative, AFT
720-495-0686
ssullivan@aft.org