Workers at BARCS Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Their Union with AFSCME Maryland

New bargaining unit will consist of staff who work as veterinary technicians, adoption counselors, surgery assistants and more. 

Baltimore—Nearly 60 workers at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) have overwhelmingly voted to form their union (BARCS Workers United) with AFSCME Maryland Council 3. 

The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday, September 2, 2026; workers voted 39-9 in favor of their union.  

The new bargaining unit will consist of staff who work as adoptions counselors, animal care attendants, cat foster coordinators, community cats program coordinators, pet support reps, surgery assistants, training and enrichment coordinators, vet techs, and others.  

Workers formed their union to address concerns regarding physical protection at work, transparency, and respect among other reasons.  

“As BARCS staff, we give animals a second chance, and today, we gave ourselves a stronger voice to better stand up for the animals and for our fellow co-workers. This is only the first step before negotiations for the betterment of BARCS and Baltimore’s animal welfare system as a whole,” said Taylor Hilton, BWU member and Veterinary Technician at BARCS. 

“We asked nicely, and management ignored us. We made it clear that things need to change, and they made it clear that the only way they’d respect us was by organizing our union,” said Rachel Brown, BWU member and Pet Support Representative at BARCS. 

“Today’s victory for BARCS workers truly embodies the mission of AFSCME Maryland: to improve conditions for Marylanders so that they can do the important work that keeps our communities running. BARCS employees work tirelessly to provide safety and security to animals in need, and that goes hand in hand with providing safety and security to them,” said Sabeela Ally, Executive Director of AFSCME Maryland.