After years of negotiation, University System of Maryland workers secured what they described as a “historic” systemwide union contract that will increase the minimum wage, improve annual leave and establish new health and safety protocols, their trade union said Friday.
The University System of Maryland signed the agreement on Wednesday, after a majority of workers represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 supported the contract last month, according to a press release by the union.
The agreement will affect about 5,700 workers at several public institutions in the Baltimore area, including University of Baltimore; Coppin State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore; and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. It will be one of the largest labor contracts in the state, said the union’s director of collective bargaining and growth strategies, Stuart Katzenberg.
At one point, there were 16 different agreements between the trade union and the system, Katzenberg said. But, he said, effective collective bargaining takes place with those who control conditions of employment, largely the system. It ensures rights and benefits are standardized.
“We fought for the rights of all of the workers who keep the university system running,” Kevin Carr, a program specialist at Coppin State University, said in the release. “We’ve set the groundwork for future system-wide contracts, and we won big for everyone!”
Jay A. Perman, the system chancellor, said negotiations took a lot of effort from both groups.
“But the outcome is what both sides were hoping for,” he said in a press release from the system. “An agreement that supports the University System’s employees, values their hard work and contributions, and stewards our resources responsibly so that we can continue providing an affordable, exceptional education to Maryland students.”
Patrick Moran, president of the trade union in Maryland, said the contract “raises the bar” for pay, benefits and working conditions across the system.
“Gone are the days of each university trying to divide us,” he said in the press release, “because they know we’re stronger when we advocate together.”
The contract will run through June 30, 2027. The contract establishes:
- An increase in the minimum wage, from $32,000 a year to $38,000 or about $18.22 per hour.
- An increase on annual leave from 11 to 14 days.
- An increase on carryover leave from 50 to 60 days.
- Upward of 5% or more in pay increases with additional pay increases in the second and third years of the contract.
- On-call, call-back and acting capacity pay.
- Employee-to-employee leave donations and a leave reserve fund.
- Health and safety protocols around heat safety and air quality, safety equipment and trainings and “right to know” language on notifying people about hazards.
Conversations with the system began in August 2022, after the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation that allowed workers to negotiate a unified contract. Former Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed the legislation, but the General Assembly was able to override him.
The legislation said certain topics, including designation of essential employees, work hours and equipment, should still be negotiated at the institution level.
“This is the best contract we have ever had,” said Jeanne Pekny, a program administrative specialist at the University of Maryland, College Park. “And this is just the first of many great contracts to come in the future.”
The agreement also brought in employees working on contracts to the union. Tracy Lingo, president of UNITE HERE Local 7, which represents hospitality workers, said the contract could have a ripple effect for other contract employees.
“The strides they have made to ensure that contract workers are not confined to second-class jobs but have a path to permanent work with equal benefits are inspiring to our members as we fight for equality for temporary workers,” she said.
At certain institutions, the agreement covers both nonexempt and exempt employees, including at Coppin State and at the University of Maryland, College Park. At University of Baltimore, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the contract only applies to nonexempt union employees. The contract applies to exempt, nonexempt and sworn police employees represented by the union at University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
