AFSCME members rally against largest layoffs in recent years at University of Maryland College Park and Bowie State University
Union representing over 6,000 exempt and non-exempt staff throughout the University System of Maryland (USM) calls on Board of Regents and university leadership to rescind layoffs and honor union contract
Baltimore — On Friday, June 12, over 75 AFSCME members who work at the University of Maryland Coll AFSCME members rally against largest layoffs in recent years at University of Maryland College Park and Bowie State University
ege Park, Bowie State University, and other University System of Maryland (USM) institutions rallied together outside of the quarterly USM Board of Regents meeting.
During the meeting, AFSCME members addressed the Board of Regents regarding recent layoffs and called on board members to honor AFSCME’s union contract regarding already-negotiated wage increases.
“College Park announced record enrollment and record fundraising. Bowie State has been touting their largest endowment ever. The Governor’s Office and the General Assembly agreed to increased funding to the university system this year. You have more than a billion dollars in various reserve funds and endowments. Before laying off AFSCME members, you didn’t even look at cutting the costly consultants and contracts that profit off the university system. This is mismanagement and failure at the highest levels, and you have made the hardworking staff who directly work with our students take the hit,” said AFSCME Maryland President Patrick Moran.
On June 3, the University of Maryland College Park announced layoffs for 73 AFSCME-represented positions. At the end of May, Bowie State University issued layoffs for 21 AFSCME-represented positions. Other universities in the system have also begun to issue layoff notices. The positions targeted for layoffs all directly served students, staff, and faculty and include a range of job titles across various departments.
“The work did not disappear when my position was eliminated. It has been redistributed among already-burdened staff, creating delayed referrals, fragmented follow-up, communication breakdowns, and increased risk of student deaths and suicides... If student mental health is truly a priority, staffing decisions must reflect that commitment. I urge the Board of Regents to examine these layoffs, reconsider these decisions, and ensure that mental health services are being strengthened at the University Health Center for the medically and psychiatric complex students we serve. When university politics start interfering with mental health decision making, students pay the ultimate price,” said Emily Leak, who was the only Integrated Care Manager on the College Park campus and amember of AFSCME Local 1072 who was laid off last week.
“I never had any chance to say goodbye to my patients. I have not stopped worrying every minute of every day since my layoff that my patients that trusted me with their story and with their mental health care now think that I abandoned them... You said that the mental health of our students was a priority. But how can you say it's a priority when 3 of the 4 people laid off in our Health Center were mental health clinicians that all played a vital role? How can you say you care about our students when you've taken away those of us who care for them? How can you say you care about your employees; that UMD is a family community when you've disrupted our lives and shut us down in a 5-minute Zoom meeting? I am a 64-yr old widow and my job prospects are certainly now much more limited,” said Karen Hennessy, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at College Park and a member of AFSCME Local 1072 who was laid off.
“With these layoffs, you are asking some of our lowest paid workers — who are NOT the reason Bowie is facing a budget problem — to pay the highest price: their livelihoods and careers. You are telling Bowie’s students that their campus experience and their success don’t matter by cutting the positions who work directly with them,” said Victoria Kelly, an Administrative Assistant at Bowie State University and Vice President of AFSCME Local 1297.
“This is not a moment of budget crisis. Our raises were funded and explicitly provided for by the Maryland General Assembly during this past legislative session. The State provided $35.7 million for general salary increases for the University System of Maryland. The funds are there. The USM is choosing not to fulfill its obligations to us, the more than 6,000 people who make our universities the great institutions that they are,” said Todd Holden, a web developer at College Park and President of AFSCME Local 1072.
AFSCME’s union contract for university staff specifies a 1.5% cost of living adjustment, a 2.5% merit increase, and a $500 flat increase – totaling $20.6 million for the university system and fully covered by state funding – but USM leaders have refused to follow through.
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About AFSCME Maryland Council 3
AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represents over 55,000 public service workers in local, city, county and state government as well as in higher education and the private sector who provide the valuable public services that our communities rely on. From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, we make Maryland happen.