Statement on Validation of Petition Signatures by Wicomico County Board of Elections for Collective Bargaining Charter Amendment

Salisbury — On Monday, August 3, the Wicomico County Board of Elections validated the petition signatures collected in support of a referendum on a charter amendment concerning the collective bargaining rights of City of Salisbury employees.

“The results are clear: 5,818 Salisbury voters signed the petition to put the question of rights for city employees on the ballot, rather than have the Mayor and City Council roll back those rights. Salisbury’s voters overwhelmingly support city workers, our unions, and our right to have a voice in our workplaces. In fact, more Salisbury voters signed this petition than who voted in the last city-wide election.

We look forward to moving onto the next step of this process and getting closer to preserving the collective bargaining rights of City of Salisbury workers. This mandate from Salisbury voters demonstrates that residents will continue to stand with the city workers of Salisbury and ultimately vote to retain their freedom to collectively bargain,” said Anissa Pierce-Sessoms, the Secretary-Treasurer of AFSCME Local 1081, representing City of Salisbury workers as well as state employees on the lower Eastern Shore.

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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.