Between November 3rd and 7th UMD AAUP members voted on whether to move forward with a campaign for collective bargaining rights for all faculty (including librarians and postdoctoral associates) in the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University (MSU), and St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM). Out of 151 votes tallied and one abstention, 146 members (or 96%) voted to move forward with this campaign.
This overwhelming response shows how strong support is for securing this right for university workers in the State of Maryland. It’s time for us to take on this issue together. With the election of a Democratic governor and a renewed emphasis on organizing in higher education, we have a real opportunity to make this change happen in the coming legislative session.
What is Collective Bargaining and Why Is it Important?
The right to bargain collectively, which is denied to many public sector workers in Maryland, is the basis for creating a fairer, more equitable, more truly inclusive workplace for us all. It obligates employers to bargain in good faith with their employees, if the employees elect to unionize.
For a more detailed overview of collective bargaining and its importance in the university context, be sure to check out the presentation we did on it in the fall. Video below and link to slides here.
The UMD graduate student employee organization, the Fearless Student Employees, also put together an informative presentation that highlights the importance of collective bargaining for graduate students. It can be found here.
The need for collective bargaining at UMD was made painfully clear in our independent financial analysis, which shows that, for all their talk of community and fairness, and despite full pockets, the UMD administration consistently fails to invest its considerable resources in fair wages and high quality instruction.
What’s Next? Get Involved!
If you want to get involved with our campaign for collective bargaining, email us at [email protected] to let us know how you may be able to support this campaign going forward.