For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 12, 1996
Maryland Correctional Workers Vote Overwhelmingly for AFSCME-Teamsters Representation
Today the largest unit of state employees yet to vote on unionization voted by a margin of more than 2 to 1 for a coalition of AFSCME and the Teamsters. The unit -- Public Safety and Security -- covers 7,800 employees, making it one of the nation's single largest union victories this year.
Today's election, which was conducted by mail ballot, came as a result of an executive order extending collective bargaining rights to some 40,000 state employees. The order was issued on May 24 of this year. Today's count was one in a series of elections. AFSCME also won the first two elections for health care and human services employees and the social workers unit.
"Now we know our issues are going to get the action they deserve," said Bernard Ralph, a correctional officer at the Maryland House of Corrections.
"Maryland correctional and security employees can finally speak with one strong voice," said Lisa Nichols of the Baltimore City Correctional Center.
The bargaining unit consists of more than 6,000 correctional officers as well as hundreds of parole and probation agents and juvenile justice employees. Safety has been of paramount concern as correctional employees are continually subjected to assault and injury. Maryland has one of the nation's highest rates of inmate assault on correctional employees.
Along with other state employees, the corrections and public safety workers have gone without raises year after year. Meanwhile, health insurance costs have risen while employee input is disregarded. Employees look to collective bargaining to give them more of a voice in their future.
The AFSCME-Teamster coalition is a result of the experience of both unions in representing public safety and security employees here in Maryland and nationwide. All told, the two unions represent more than 100,000 correctional officers throughout the country. The unions are the two largest in the AFL-CIO, with more than 2.7 million members total.
AFSCME will issue an announcement at a news conference at 2 p.m. Thursday, December 12 at the Baltimore office of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, 501 North St. Paul Place.
