DBM Cuts COVID-19 Response Pay
AFSCME was informed after close of business Thursday, September 10th, that the elevated COVID-19 pay and additional quarantine pay for our frontline employees working at jobsites throughout the pandemic has been unilaterally canceled by the Hogan Administration. These members are exposed daily to COVID-19 and are in the highest risk category for contracting the virus. Already at least 800 AFSCME members have contracted COVID-19 from their workplace and two of our members have lost their lives from a workplace exposure.
AFSCME immediately took action demanding that the pay be restored. In concert with the media asking questions to the Hogan Administration about this pay cut. By 11:46am on Friday, September 11th, we received an email from Cindy Kollner reversing their original message and stating that quarantine pay ($5.13/hr) will continue. As of now, the $3.13/hr response pay has still been discontinued.
DBM doesn’t have a plan. The poor management that has become a hallmark of Secretary Brinkley and the Hogan Administration continues. Even with quarantine pay continuing, cutting response pay will directly impact thousands of frontline workers across the state who work in all state facilities.
Governor Hogan, Department of Budget and Management Secretary David Brinkley and their administrations can Google Meet from their homes while they cut the pay of frontline public employees working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is especially insulting as it has been made clear by DBM that federal CARES money would cover all elevated pay and the state still has at least $100 million dollars in these funds. With the positivity rate climbing across the state, we know the virus isn’t over and we know the novel COVID-19 virus won’t just skip workers not in a quarantine unit.
Urge Secretary Brinkley to reverse this decision and re-instate the COVID-19 response pay immediately by sending him an email at: [email protected]. You can also call him and urge him to reverse this decision and reinstate response pay at: (410) 260-7041.
