From Tevoia Cropper, a Developmental Disability Associate Supervisor at the Holly Center in Eastern Maryland:
I’ve worked at the Holly Center for over a decade. I’ve signed my AFSCME membership/authorization card already because it is my YES vote for our AFSCME supervisors’ union.
Here’s why I signed and voted YES:
- Our union AFSCME won improved retirement benefits for many of us at MDH facilities. This year AFSCME and our fellow MDH supervisor members fought to pass legislation in Annapolis expanding the 20-year CORS retirement eligibility to include many of us who work in MDH facilities. This is something that those who work in Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center have had for many years already.
- Our union AFSCME has successfully fought back against attempts to close important hospitals and programs, protecting jobs at our state hospital centers and our state local health departments. AFSCME members fought back against repeated attempts to close the Western Maryland Hospital Center in the last few years. Through the power of our union and the force of our membership, we stopped all of these attempted closures, saving dozens of jobs at WMHC and ensuring people in western Maryland would have the health services they need. AFSCME members won the same fight at the Anne Arundel County Health Department when the state unsuccessfully attempted to shut down the maternal health department. AFSCME members organized, fought back, and won, saving more than 60 jobs.
- Our union AFSCME stopped State attempts to illegally contract out state employee positions and brought these titles back into the bargaining unit. People doing state employee work should be in full status positions with all of the rights and protections of our union contract. AFSCME negotiated with the State to end the illegal contracting out of many positions at our state hospital centers, protecting the integrity of our bargaining unit and state employment.
Being able to win our union means we will finally have a say in protecting what we love about our jobs and fixing the problems we know exist at MDH, whether we’re working at a state hospital center, a state local health department, or in a MDH department supporting critical health programs and services for our state.
We can’t certify our union and negotiate a union contract until a majority of supervisors signs our dual membership/authorization card, so please share this form with other supervisors that you know! Every supervisor who chooses not to sign our AFSCME card counts as a vote AGAINST our supervisors union and against having a voice in the issues we care about.
If you have any questions, please ask me next time you see me, or email [email protected].
AFSCME Maryland Supervisors Union members.