After Maryland Riots, AFSCME Comes Out Swinging

In the aftermath of rioting at the Maryland House of Corrections Annex in Jessup, AFSCME members held the line for CO safety just as they had during the actual events.

"AFSCME came out swinging," says Maryland CO Bernard Ralph, a member of the ACU Advisory Board. "There wasn’t any half-stepping. AFSCME’s priority is its members and it showed."

Eighteen AFSCME members, including Ralph, served on a labor/management task force to investigate the causes of the rioting and make recommendations accordingly. Those recommendations included: increased staffing; redistribution of maximum security inmates; improved equipment and training; and development of an emergency response team.

The state secretary of corrections and the governor have committed to do what is necessary to secure officer safety, including increasing the staff and decreasing the number of inmates. Meanwhile, training is underway and equipment has been ordered.

Though the state hasn’t yet implemented all the task force’s recommendations, Ralph is confident that the union will have the last word. "We’re not going to give up," he says. The members know how to lobby their representatives and "the state does not want us to be in Annapolis when the legislators get back."