Bargaining Update: May 29, 2025

The AFSCME Maryland Bargaining Team (made up of members from AFSCME Local 44, 558, and 2202) met with the City of Baltimore on Thursday, May 29 at the Department of Human Resources offices for another bargaining session.

Our team made progress on various non-economic issues, including further improvements to health and safety and expanded access to citywide in-person new employee orientations. Our union has also been working with the Comptroller’s Office to introduce a resolution at this Wednesday’s Board of Estimates meeting to ensure a minimum level of healthcare access and coverage for all city employees.

Our team also spent a significant amount of time discussing wages with the City. The City gave our union limited data on how their wage proposal would work. The AFSCME team made a counter proposal to increase the wage scale, accelerate movement up the pay scale, re-formulate the value of step increases, and ensure wage increases in each year of the agreement.

The AFSCME team requested a written counterproposal from the City regarding the contracting out of bargaining unit work. We also offered to work with the City to find ways to reduce costs related to contracting out city services and to raise necessary revenues to fund city services.

Our next bargaining session will be on Thursday, June 26.