Maryland agrees to contract with state employees; Hogan proposes 2018 budget
By Ovetta Wiggins and Josh Hicks
January 17, 2018
Maryland state employees, whose contracts expired Dec. 31, will receive a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment in 2019 and a break on insurance premiums this year under a new labor agreement announced Wednesday.
The three-year deal, which will be voted on by union members on Jan. 31, follows lengthy and, at times, bitter negotiations with the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan (R) that highlighted staffing shortages and working conditions for correctional officers and other employees.
“These contract agreements are tremendous news for the state and our hard-working employees,” Hogan said in a statement. “There have been no furloughs or layoffs, and we are very proud of that.”
Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Council 3, which represents the largest group of affected workers, credited union members with forging the agreement and noted that Hogan tried to rescind a promised raise for state employees in his first year in office.
The Hogan administration “came to the table with zero,” Moran said. “Our members earned every dime they fought for in this agreement.”
In addition to AFSCME, the contracts affect workers with the Maryland Professional Employees Council, the American Federation of Teachers Healthcare-Maryland and Teamsters Local 355 — about 25,000 state employees in all.
Read the full story on The Washington Post's website.