Three AFT Maryland bargaining units representing state workers in Maryland recently signed contracts with the Moore Administration. The unions, Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) Local 6197, AFT Healthcare Maryland Local 5197, and the Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association Local 4828 each were represented by their respective presidents and were joined by AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell. The occasion was historic for the Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association as this is their first contract.
“I’m pleased the contracts were agreed upon but I take the most joy in ratification by our members. Ratification signals approvals by the body of the work of the bargaining team and that is the template for how union negotiations are supposed to work” said President Kenya Campbell.
“Thank you to Governor Moore, Maryland Department of Budget and Management Secretary Helene Grady, and the entire Moore-Miller Administration for always making sure we felt heard during the negotiations and working with us to come to an agreement that our workers deserve,” said AFT Healthcare Maryland President Yvonne Dowell.
“I want to thank the Moore-Miller Administration for the professionalism they brought to the negotiation process. This administration showed us how committed they were when they moved forward with proposals that would continue to recruit and retain good public employees,” said Maryland Professional Employees Council President Jerry Smith. “Thank you Governor Moore for putting together a great team of leaders committed to the good and welfare of all stakeholders in Maryland leaving no one behind.”
Communicating through an ASL interpreter, President Edna Johnston of the Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association commented, “This is the culmination of hard work from educators of generations past, who first established the Maryland School for the Deaf union over 30 years ago and for those who recently fought for our right to have collective bargaining. The foundation of a world-class education system lies in the respect and support given to those who are engaged in this vital work. Working in partnership with the Moore-Miller Administration, we have created this agreement that I know we all are proud of.”
Article and photos by AFT Maryland staff
2024-03-11