There is no stronger power than labor power and faculty at Howard Community College are flexing that muscle. Tuesday, January 30, 2024 kicked off the first day of bargaining for full time faculty with the institution. Prior to heading into the bargaining session, the bargaining team rallied with fellow full time faculty union members, AFT Maryland President, Kenya Campbell, and AFT Maryland staff. Faculty addressed the crowd and rallied in support of the team as they headed into the first negotiation session. The faculty in attendance were supportive and eager to let their voices be heard through collective bargaining.
Tim Bruno, a member of the bargaining team and professor in the English department, was filled with anticipation prior to the start of bargaining. “I am just so excited to finally, finally, finally get to the bargaining table, and I’m ready to negotiate with the administration in good faith,” Bruno said. He was excited about what this may forecast for higher education full time faculty across the state of Maryland, saying “I hope that what we’re doing here at Howard Community College can show others in higher ed, everyone in higher ed that higher education is a public good, this is a public service, we are public servants. We are teaching for the good of our communities. I hope everyone involved in this work realizes that and feels confident in standing up and saying: Yes, that’s me, too.”
Union faculty members wore red in support of their colleagues going in to bargain and held signs demanding respect for faculty and demanding faculty inclusion for institutional decision making. Chante Robertson, a member of the bargaining team and professor in the Health, Science, and Technology department said, “I want all of us to have our voices heard and our professions respected, and we just want to have a seat at the table. We want to work with admin to make this college the best in the state of Maryland.” Robertson continued to detail why the faculty believe the union is the best way to accomplish those goals. “We believe that there is strength in numbers and we wanted to be legally accepted and known as a unit that is allowed to sit at the table and make some of the decisions that affect our jobs, classes, courses, and students,” Robertson said.
In joining the faculty prior to their first session of bargaining, AFT Maryland President Campbell reiterated that the full support of the state federation was with the faculty. She was welcomed with joyous applause when introduced at the rally and participated in the chants as faculty and state federation staff made their way to bargain with college administration. “The first contract is an exciting time for any union. Our higher education faculty at community colleges across Maryland have spent years studying in their respective disciplines, but labor practices may be new to some of them. Anytime we embark on something new, there’s an element of eagerness and excitement but there’s also an element of anxiety and uncertainty. Our (AFT Maryland’s) presence here with them today is to remind them that no matter how many members of the bargaining team go into the room with administration, the strength of the nearly 20,000 members of AFT Maryland is with the faculty here at Howard Community College,” said Campbell.
Article & photos by AFT Maryland Staff
2024-02-02