BALTIMORE — Pen went to paper Friday on a new contract for folks working for the University System of Maryland, after a nearly two-year-long negotiating process.
According to the AFSCME Maryland Council 3 union, the deal includes upwards of 5% or more in pay increases, an increase in the minimum wage from $32k/yr to $38k/yr, better annual leave accrual and health and safety protocols surrounding heat safety and air quality.
The deal impacts virtually all workers besides faculty, roughly 6,000 people, at state universities including the University of Maryland College Park, University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore, Coppin State University, and UMBC.
"It feels great to see our hard work accepted," said Claudette Booth, a University of Baltimore administrative assistant and a bargaining team member.
There used to be 16 individual contracts for nine Maryland universities, and now there is one, a union representative told WMAR.
"It also means we have employees who are going to start to be treated fairly across campuses," Booth added.
The deal's signing comes within a week of a new deal agreed between Apple and its Towson store workers.
READ MORE: Towson Apple Store union negotiators arrive at first-in-nation deal with company
"It's bringing everyone together under one umbrella, just like the system is one umbrella," said Patrick Moran, AFSCME Maryland president. "It's negotiating with the system, who is the decision-maker in the process. And that's what we strive to do, and we accomplished in this."
The deal lasts through June 2027.
"The negotiations were complex and took a lot of effort," said Jay Perman, University System of Maryland chancellor, in a press statement. "But the outcome is what both sides were hoping for: 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.”
The deal was made possible after the Maryland legislature allowed for a unified contract within the entire state university system.
