For the first time, Gov. Wes Moore’s administration and the largest union of state government workers have missed the deadline in annual pay negotiations.
Each year, the state and AFSCME Maryland must negotiate the details of the next year’s pay increases, such as cost-of-living adjustments or steps on the salary scales. AFSCME and the administration did not reach an agreement by the Dec. 31 deadline.
In a statement, AFSCME said the Democratic governor’s final proposal “continues to lag behind the rate of inflation and understaff state services.”
The union, which represents 26,000 workers, also faulted the Moore administration for not considering union-proposed ways to save money, such as cutting back on contracts with private companies and eliminating duplicative programs.
Moore’s office confirmed that an agreement was not reached with AFSCME, but did not comment on the situation. Neither AFSCME nor the Moore administration publicly offered details of what was proposed to workers.
AFSCME and the state have a long-term contract that runs through the end of 2026 and includes provisions for negotiations at the end of each year on economic issues, such as wages for the next budget year that begins on July 1.
With no agreement by the year-end deadline, it’s up to the Moore administration to decide what pay raises to include in its budget plan. There’s no arbitration or appeals process.
Acting Budget Secretary Jake Weissmann said the next budget will include a pay increase for AFSCME-represented workers equivalent to agreements reached with several smaller unions that average 2%.
“We’re going to go and incorporate what we’re doing for state employees to include AFSCME. That will be part of the budget,” he said.
The Moore administration reached annual agreements with six other employee unions, all much smaller than AFSCME: Maryland Professional Employees Council, American Federation of Teachers Healthcare, American Federation of Teachers-Maryland School for the Deaf, State Law Enforcement Officers Labor Alliance, Fraternal Order of Police for the Maryland Transportation Authority and the International Association of Fire Fighters for Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport firefighters.
The 11,000 workers in those unions will get “the equivalent of an average 2 percent pay increase,” according to the governor’s office.
“At a time when families and governments are both facing real financial pressures, the State of Maryland is continuing to prioritize the employees who work in service of Marylanders every day,” Moore said in a statement.
Last month, AFSCME filed complaints with the state’s labor relations board alleging the administration committed unfair labor practices by not following policies on telework, shift pay and military leave.
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