Press Room

Press Room

AFSMCE Demands Funding and Immediate Action for Dangerously Understaffed Department of Human Services

ANNAPOLIS- Ahead of today’s annual budget hearing for the Department of Human Services, AFSCME members are speaking out about rampant understaffing and under-resourcing in the agency. DHS workers oversee adult and child welfare, provide benefits and assistance to families struggling economically, and many more services. DHS is our social safety net, and our members put the “human” in human services. As of January 2022, DHS has 882 vacant positions for a vacancy rate of 14.7% - the highest vacancy rate of any public safety, health, and human services state agency.

AFSMCE Demands Funding and Immediate Action for Dangerously Understaffed Department of Human Services

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AFSCME Gathers to Honor Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Launch Campaign to Strengthen Worker’s Rights in Maryland

Annapolis- AFSCME Council 3 members will gather this evening to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and launch our campaign to strengthen worker’s rights in Maryland. Members will gather to rally virtually, due to COVID safety protocols, on Zoom. Members will be joined by and hear from AFSCME National President Lee Saunders and Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones as well as former Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Del. Brooke Lierman and others.

AFSCME Gathers to Honor Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Launch Campaign to Strengthen Worker’s Rights in Maryland

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AFSCME mourns the loss of a beloved member of our union family, Mildred Wurf
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AFSCME mourns the loss of a beloved member of our union family, Mildred Wurf

AFSCME mourns the loss of Mildred Wurf, a beloved member of our union family, a pioneering District Council 37 educator and the widow of former AFSCME president, Jerry Wurf. Mildred Wurf died on Dec. 29 at the age of 95.

AFSCME mourns the loss of a beloved member of our union family, Mildred Wurf

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Crisis in Baltimore Corrections: Fire, Spoiled Vaccines and Assaults Creating Dangerous Conditions Inside State Facilities

AFSCME Council 3 members are raising alarm about a growing crisis of dangerous conditions inside Maryland State Correctional Facilities. Since 2016, AFSCME members have spoken out about poor working conditions and low pay making it difficult to recruit and retain frontline staff. Compounded by the pandemic, the staffing crisis has become even more acute impacting the safety and quality of life of detainees.

Crisis in Baltimore Corrections: Fire, Spoiled Vaccines and Assaults Creating Dangerous Conditions Inside State Facilities

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AFSCME and the State of Maryland Reach a Tentative Agreement on a Contract for 2021-2023

On December 31st, 2021, members of AFSCME Council 3’s bargaining reached a tentative agreement with the Hogan Administration for a new contract after months of difficult bargaining. The agreement provides for almost 12% in raises to 20,000 frontline workers including social workers, nurses, direct care assistants, correctional officers, highway workers, juvenile service workers, case managers, and many others. AFSCME was also able to secure additional COVID response pay and leave at the 11th hour of negotiations for its members battling COVID on the frontlines. The raises consist of a combination of step advancements that have long been deferred by the administration and cost-of-living adjustments that are crucial to keeping State employees’ families secure and stable.

AFSCME and the State of Maryland Reach a Tentative Agreement on a Contract for 2021-2023