FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Feldman Strategies, team@feldmanstrategies.com
December 5, 2025
Prince George's Community College Faculty Secure Tentative Agreement for First-Ever Union Contract
After months of bargaining, faculty have secured a tentative agreement that addresses critical issues while providing increased salaries and improved working conditions.
LARGO, MD – In a major victory for higher education workers, faculty at Prince George’s Community College – represented by United Academics of Maryland (UAMD), an affiliate of AFT Maryland – have reached a tentative agreement on their first-ever union contract. This victory continues a positive streak, marking the fourth UAMD-represented institution to reach a tentative agreement this year and since the State Legislature expanded collective bargaining rights to community college faculty in 2021.
“Our members were pushed to the breaking point by decisions made without transparency, without collaboration, and without respect. Faculty were treated as if their voices didn’t matter. But we organized, we built power, and we made sure management heard us loud and clear,” said UAMD President Angelique Cook-Hayes. “This agreement is the direct result of faculty refusing to accept unilateral changes and standing shoulder to shoulder to demand fairness. When we fight together, we win.”
After months of escalating tensions, public pressure, and unprecedented collective action, this tentative agreement marks a significant shift after years of unfair treatment, unilateral changes to working conditions, and management practices, which pushed faculty to form their union.
“This agreement reflects the power of a faculty united around a shared purpose – to give every student the high-quality education they deserve,” said AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell. “With our fourth major win this year for faculty, we’re closing out a truly monumental chapter for educators and for public higher education in Maryland. Our members have shown what’s possible when we stay organized and keep pushing with clarity and conviction – and we’re carrying that momentum with us into the year ahead.”
Now, the faculty's first-ever tentative agreement delivers meaningful gains – including wage increases, a strong grievance process, a powerful voice at the table, and protections for academic freedom – that reflect the collective strength built on campus over the past year in the face of unlawful anti-worker tactics from community college management.
“This agreement is a giant leap forward for faculty who persevered for months and secured a real voice, fair pay and dignity at work,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It reflects a deep commitment, in the face of an indifferent employer, to strengthening their college for generations of students and workers to come. Across Maryland, and around the country, faculty are not only fighting back against funding cuts and political attacks, they are advancing a positive vision of higher education as a democratic, accessible and transformative public good that powers the economy, builds futures and saves lives. Their struggle is another reminder that when we stand together we can achieve far more than we ever can alone.”
“The AAUP stands with our courageous faculty members at Prince George’s Community College who have demonstrated the power of collective action in taking on workplace injustice,” said AAUP President Todd Wolfson. “When management refuse to listen, workers stand together and fight back. This tentative agreement sets a precedent for academic labor rights nationwide and underscores the essential importance of organizing.”
The tentative agreement will be presented to the faculty, and a vote will take place to finalize ratification. UAMD is excited to mark the start of a new chapter for educators at Prince George’s Community College.
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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.