The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 has learned three additional union members have died in the past few days, bringing the number of deceased essential employees to 9.
They state that there are also well over 3,000 COVID positive members.
The members that passed were a correctional maintenance officer in Baltimore City, a correctional officer in Hagerstown, and a Facilities employee at the University of Maryland, College Park.
“Today we mourn the passing of one our own. Officer Renner served the people of Maryland with honor for 10 years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and co-workers. We need everyone to stay healthy and safe and take every precaution so we can get through this together,” said Tom Myers, President of Local 1772, Hagerstown Corrections, said,
Todd Holden, President of AFSCME Local 1072 at UMCP said, “As this global pandemic rages, and public health experts warn us that the most dangerous days are ahead, AFSCME Local 1072 continues its fight to ensure that our members at the University of Maryland College Park are equipped, informed, and safe. And while we have strived since March for a campus where not one of our sisters and brothers would be left behind, the recent reports that one of our activist members who had been reporting for work has succumbed to COVID-19 is doubly troubling for us. Not only have we lost a friend and an ally, it has occurred in a workplace where management simply refuses to inform the union when workers test positive. Throughout the Fall semester, UMCP was able to provide timely, regular, and discreet notifications when students tested positive. Why can't they do the same for workers? Knowing when and where positive cases occur in the workplace would allow AFSCME to determine if others may be affected or at risk due to any one of the many lapses in health and safety our union regularly brings to management's attention, and help to fulfill our duty to protect each other. Instead, UMCP continues to hold our union at arm’s length, so that we are forced to act - and grieve - after the fact. This must change.”
Patrick Moran, President of AFSCME Council 3 said “It is again so sad that we are at this junction once again. It further demonstrates that the Hogan Administration and the USM only view our members as cogs in a machine. No matter how many get sick or die they continue to operate like business as usual. Both the Hogan administration and the USM are unwilling to come to health and safety agreements to protect workers.”
