For Immediate Release
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
UM-Baltimore Staff Petition for Union With Community Support
Baltimore, MD —The largest group of staff at University of Maryland at Baltimore filed today to be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. AFSCME won elections with 4,500 staff at 11 other campuses beginning last year.
A total of 1,000 staff are covered by the UMB petition, in a wide range of office and skilled technical positions plus service and maintenance workers. Workers active with AFSCME at UMB, the second-wealthiest Maryland university, say being part of a statewide effort will help them make progress on their pressing concerns.
"We need more than just an advisory voice in our pay, benefits and working conditions," said Patricia Butler, executive administrative assistant in the School of Medicine. "Joining together as a union will allow us to speak with one strong voice. We're proud to be part of UMB, but staff and our families don't want to be left behind."
Workers spoke in front of a colorful banner displaying their campaign slogan, "Now Our Voice Will Count." Staff at UMB are particularly dismayed to see massive building projects at UMB, and lofty administrative salaries while average staff face a pay freeze imposed by the administration. Almost 150 workers and community supporters attended the rally at Carter Memorial Church, adjacent to the downtown campus.
"These are good jobs for Baltimore, but they could be better jobs," said Elder Carl Pierce of Carter Memorial Church. "This university can very easily afford to improve the pay and opportunities for its staff.
"The community is involved and watching this closely," Pierce concluded. UMB workers made contact with community leaders earlier in the summer and found widespread anger about a proposed Biotech Park expansion across Martin Luther King Blvd. from campus, near Carter Memorial Church. That common concern has since become a key building block of community-worker relations.
The union pointed out UMB anticipates revenue of $552 million in fiscal 2003, a 27 percent increase since 2000. A recent survey of the highest-paid 25 state employees published in the Baltimore Sun showed 19 were from UMB. Over the next five years, UMB is planning to spend $170 million on new buildings and renovations, including $124 million on a new dental school already underway.
"We're rapidly changing the old power relationship at the 11 campuses where staff have voted for AFSCME," said Sally Davies, activist from the statewide steering committee and the UM-College Park campaign. "This is the golden opportunity for UMB staff to join, and having the second-largest bargaining unit on board would add that much more momentum in building a statewide union." Staff at College Park, the largest campus, recently forced the administration to halt a planned doubling in parking fees, and the issue is now being bargained in contract negotiations.
An election is expected within six to eight weeks under procedures established by the state when university staff won collective bargaining last year.
