Member Spotlight: Dionne Williams

Local 1072 executive board member Dionne Williams is a Contract Administrator at the University of Maryland College Park. She has worked for the university for over 20 years. Through her work, she contributes to securing financial support for research that expands knowledge and innovation.

What first drew Dionne to becoming an active union member was attending her first negotiating session as an alternate bargaining team member.

“Watching and learning more about our MOU, understanding the thought process behind decisions, and having a say in the conversation made me want to become more involved,” she says.

Today, Dionne serves on Local 1072’s telework bargaining team, where she is helping negotiate a fair and equitable telework policy for College Park members. Through her work, she ensures members’ voices are represented in decisions that directly impact their daily lives.

She has also taken that advocacy beyond campus. Dionne recently testified in front of the Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee in Annapolis, advocating for legislators to work with AFSCME when it comes to the budget process across the University System of Maryland.

“This was my second time speaking in front of the legislature. It’s always meaningful to be in Annapolis and express what the workers behind the scenes are doing. No one knows our experience but us," she says. “Speaking up in Annapolis is one of the main ways we can make sure legislators aren’t just thinking about numbers, but about the people behind them. When higher education experiences budget cuts, it’s frontline staff who feel the impact most.”

Whether advocating in Annapolis or bargaining at the local level, Dionne is taking action to ensure workers are heard fighting for fair policies on campus and funding for higher education across the state.