The union says the collapse of the talks was especially troubling because state employees such as corrections officers and social workers have put their health at risk on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. The union says a tenth of its members have tested positive for the virus and six have died.
Denise Henderson, a transportation officer at the Department of Juvenile Services and a member of the union bargaining team, said that throughout the pandemic she’s been urging her colleagues to step up and work harder. To then receive the state’s offer, she said, was “a slap in the face.”
“I sat through these negotiations, I listened and it completely broke my heart,” Henderson said.
Yet the pandemic has hurt state finances as the economy has contracted, prompting Hogan (R) to impose budget cuts.
Joseph Horvath, the state’s chief negotiator, wrote to the union this week, saying its proposals would have cost $2 billion over three years and were “simply are out of touch with the reality of the State’s fiscal situation.”
Mike Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan, said Friday that the failure to secure a raise rests with the union’s leadership.
“Once again, Mr. Moran has left his frontline members out in the cold while the state reaches agreement with our other — clearly better-led — unions, including teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, and healthcare professionals,” Ricci said in an email.
“We all know the drill by now: he lashes out in the media to deflect from his inability to deliver,” Ricci said.
Hogan had previously proposed pay cuts for state employees as the pandemic took a toll on revenue, but the idea was rejected by Democrats on the state spending board. On Friday, the union members will still receive a 2 percent raise that was negotiated in a previous round of contract talks. The union agreed to have the raise take effect halfway through the current budget year, rather than when it started last July.
Nonetheless, AFSCME says it’s galling that its members, who are predominantly women and people of color, have not been offered substantial raises in recent years even as unions representing state law enforcement officers have secured more generous pay deals.
Moran said the differences “could not be a clearer example of the Governor’s disparate and discriminatory negotiation practices.”
But in his letter to Moran, Horvath said that the other unions came prepared with better cases and have a history of working with the state in a “congenial and professional manner.”
He said the union’s stance had become “increasingly incendiary.”
Moran said the union will continue to explore any legal options and avenues in the legislature. Even though the pay talks are over, the two sides can continue to negotiate over working conditions. Moran said health and safety provisions would be a significant issue in those…
Read More: Maryland state employee union fails to agree on pay raise with Hogan