Union representing over 20,000 state employees rallies in Cumberland as part of final stop of a statewide tour to draw attention to critical staffing shortages and outdated state facilities
Cumberland, MD – On Thursday, December 19, nearly 40 AFSCME Maryland Council 3 members from various state agencies and retired state employees hosted a press conference and rally to call attention to the ongoing neglect of essential state services and facilities. A livestream of the event can be found here.
State employees continue to face dangerously low staffing levels and skyrocketing vacancy rates, impossible workloads and caseloads, and nearly $1 billion in deferred maintenance for state facilities left over from former Governor Larry Hogan’s administration. These facilities include our state hospitals, correctional facilities, and juvenile detention facilities, which are facing drastic upticks in violence and assaults.
Previous stops included press conferences in Hagerstown, Salisbury, and Baltimore earlier this fall.
AFSCME Maryland will continue to demand improved compensation to better recruit and retain state employees and a plan to address the maintenance backlog in state facilities.
In this upcoming legislative session, AFSCME Maryland stands ready to partner with state leaders to avoid furloughs and layoffs that would further decimate state services and to address the state’s revenue crisis by closing tax loopholes that only benefit the ultrawealthy and large corporations. AFSCME Maryland will also be advocating for the passage of the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, which would help create a workplace violence prevention standard for public sector employees.
Quotes from AFSCME Maryland Council 3 Members:
“If we had the staff we needed, it would go a long way towards making sure incidents don’t happen and having a smooth running day. Having extra help in our group would mean having one person to do the extra things, like fill the water coolers and do program set-up, while another person could still watch the kids. We wouldn’t be so stressed out because we wouldn’t be alone trying to make sure things are running smoothly and also trying to keep everyone and ourselves safe,” said Kevin Miller, a union steward for AFSCME Local 3167 (representing employees in the Department of Juvenile Services) and a Residential Advisor at Backbone Mountain Youth Center.
“If we had the resources, patients who have been with us for years could get the support they need to be discharged. Those who are in a jail awaiting treatment could actually get the mental health support they need. Instead, we just have cottages sitting empty because we don’t have the people to staff them or funds to open them,” said Shannon Sacco, president of AFSCME Local 611 (representing state employees in Garrett and Allegany Counties) and an LPN at the Thomas B. Finan Center.
“We don’t have enough staff to run religious services. We don’t have enough staff to open the yards. And there’s no time to take any breaks because by the time we’ve finished one set of tasks, we immediately have to jump to another set. Medical passes have to get cancelled, gym time has to get cancelled. And if a major emergency were to happen, there would be no staff to cover everything and whatever staff you do pull are already too worn down,” said Joshua Mills, a member of AFSCME Local 898 (representing employees at the Western Correctional Institution and North Branch Correctional Institution) and Correctional Officer at North Branch.
“The two correctional facilities I represent in western Maryland house Maryland’s most dangerous offenders. And they are severely understaffed and unsafe. Staff assaults have more than doubled from 2023 to date in 2024,” said Tony Sines, president of AFSCME Local 898 (representing employees at the Western Correctional Institution and North Branch Correctional Institution) and a Correctional Supply Officer at Western Correctional Institution.
“Staff turnover is high, and it means we’re losing out on our best talent because our salaries are 10 or 15 years behind other positions that require the same skillset. The State’s reliance on contractual workers to handle unemployment claims has left us in a position where we don’t have enough skilled and trained unemployment insurance specialists to handle the volume of questions and claims. The wait times were so bad that DOL made headlines, and not in a good way,” said Sean Santmyire, a member of AFSCME Local 3641 (representing employees at the Maryland Department of Labor) and a Workforce Development Specialist in Allegany County.
“Our state leaders can say they’re trying their best, that they’re hiring more people and making a small dent in the vacancy rates. But at the end of the day, everyone here hasn’t felt the effects. Everyone here still feels short staffed. Everyone here is working overtime and multiple jobs to make ends meet. Everyone here knows someone or has personally been injured on the job,” said Patrick Moran, President of AFSCME Maryland Council 3.
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About AFSCME Maryland Council 3
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents nearly 45,000 public service workers at the local, city, county, state, and higher education levels who provide the valuable public services that our communities rely on. From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, we make Maryland happen.
