Maryland
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration, public employee union agree to new contract
![Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration, public employee union agree to new contract Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration, public employee union agree to new contract](https://www.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/10/17/VW3KM3I2EJHFTEX53AEVATYNAU.jpg?w=1024&h=670)
Union leaders representing most of Maryland’s public employees have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with Gov. Wes Moore’s administration, which also announced the hiring of a new top official to lead future bargaining negotiations.
Details of the contract, which must be ratified through a vote of union members, have not been released. The sides said they met a Dec. 31 deadline and described the deal as “tentative” and “preliminary.”
After working on annual employee raises and staffing issues with former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration for eight years, union leader Patrick Moran said “the tone of this year’s negotiations was markedly different,” though he did not explain whether leaders were pleased with the deal.
Moran, Council 3 president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and other union members had often been critical of Hogan, who they said failed to fill necessary vacancies in state government positions and did not provide adequate cost-of-living adjustments for employees during his two terms. After negotiations for the current contract ended a year ago and promised an average wage increase of 2.4%, Moran called the raises “insufficient” and stressed that understaffing remained a critical issue.
Moore, a Democrat, entered office last January with a vow to rebuild the state’s workforce but his administration has fallen short on hiring goals so far.
While the governor previously stated his desire to reduce the number of vacancies by half in his first year, the vacancy rate fell by just 2 percentage points — from 13.1% in January to 11.1% in October — according to a recent report by the legislature’s Spending Affordability Committee. As of October, there were about 1,800 more filled positions than the previous year, with about 5,400 remaining vacancies in the executive branch, not including positions in higher education, the report stated.
The governor, however, has stood by his pledge to support the workforce — adding about $35 million in salary increases while crafting the state budget early last year and standing alongside AFSCME during its nationwide tour in the summer to encourage hiring.
“Rebuilding state government and supporting our state employees is a top priority for the Moore-Miller Administration, and while the final contracts must be ratified by a full member vote by all four unions, these preliminary agreements are another critical step forward in that work,” Moore said in a statement Wednesday.
Moran said in his statement that Moore’s budget secretary, Helene Grady, worked closely with AFSCME “to address a number of key issues affecting our state workforce and state services.”
“We will continue to work with this administration, our elected officials, and our allies to find solutions, including raising additional state revenues, to tackle this staffing crisis and ensure our public services can continue to function,” Moran said.
Moore also said Wednesday he had hired Dyana Forester to represent him in future labor relations activities as a senior director of labor relations.
Forester was most recently president of the Metropolitan Washington Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and has about two decades of experience organizing workers. In her new role, she will direct collective bargaining activities and advise the governor on labor relations issues affecting the state workforce. AFSCME is the largest union, representing about 30,000 public employees — including correctional officers, state hospital workers and higher education workers.
In a letter explaining its priorities for the 90-day session beginning Wednesday, the union said it will be lobbying for new laws to change the bargaining process, including moving the deadline from New Year’s Eve to September 30 and requiring a neutral arbitrator to be agreed to by both parties for the negotiations. Another bill would expand collective bargaining rights to more than 4,000 supervisors who work in the executive branch. The letter also stressed the union’s priority to continue filling vacant positions and raising wages.
“We have a huge hole to fill now, with state employee salaries lagging inflation by 14% in this same time period, and thousands of remaining position shortages and vacancies. Despite renewed recruitment efforts under the Moore Administration, sadly, state agencies are still not on track to hit their vacancy reduction targets this year,” the letter signed by Moran read.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Maryland
Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek
![Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek Sunny, beautiful start to Maryland’s workweek](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/09/04ab35ac-caee-49ac-b1f6-b1d903f04fd8/thumbnail/1200x630/c956a987df28dad2d9c972b3f97036b5/1c48d060e7ba7f7ad4227bda81365dd7.jpg?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Maryland
Fall chill overnight for Maryland
![Fall chill overnight for Maryland Fall chill overnight for Maryland](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/08/7a088c3b-3dc2-4821-8244-284bc218ffe8/thumbnail/1200x630/d7d5a8a93dd785b206e321c69d378cd1/a1c45391f92f4fa56e6a3dae46ae727c.jpg?v=631cf5f2b4e8db7f9bc428589402864d)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Maryland
3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland
![3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland 3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3540,h_1991,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01j796ara6amt9mb880d.jpg)
The Michigan State Spartans under head coach Jonathan Smith are 2-0 thanks to a road win against a tough Maryland team, 27-24.
Resilience might be the word to describe this squad so far. The Spartans made some big blunders against the Terrapins and still found a way to battle back. The gritty performance might have been enough to get the Spartans into a bowl game.
Here are three takeaways from the Spartans’ win.
Aidan Chiles: Very Young, Very Talented
Chiles looked vastly improved from the home opener against Florida Atlantic. Again, he looked like an 18-year-old quarterback.
Chiles got not just his first passing touchdown as a Spartan, but three passing touchdowns to go with 24 of 39 passing and 363 yards. He also had three interceptions, which very nearly cost the Spartans the game.
Chiles has about as strong an arm as any quarterback to wear the green and white in recent memory. He is dangerous when he is on the move.
Perhaps a critique is that he should try to make more plays with his legs, he has seemed cautious to these first two games. The first pass rusher to get to Chiles likely won’t bring him down — Chiles has a great feel for the pocket and he is quite slippery.
Chiles overcame some poor mistakes and throwing mechanics (his feet tend to get wide and it factors into his overthrows) to lead the Spartans in the most critical of situations against a sturdy Maryland defense.
Huge game for Chiles, who showed why the hype was so promising.
Can the Spartans Stay Healthy on Defense?
Already, this Spartans squad is beaten up. Dillon Tatum, a key defensive back, lost for the season. Wide receiver Alante Brown, whose injury allowed for Nick Marsh to announce himself to the world, lost for the foreseeable future. Kristian Phillips at guard was huge.
During the Maryland game, several Spartans were beat up. Few even had to go into the tent on the sideline. It will be crucial for the Spartans to remain healthy, especially on defense. Most especially in the defensive backfield.
The Spartans are very confident in their young defensive backs — Justin Denson Jr., Andrew Brinson IV, and Jaylen Thompson can all be very good players, but they need more time to develop.
If more Spartans fall to injury, the defensive backfield could get very young.
Nick Marsh is the Real Deal
Marsh was the recruiting gem of 2024, the best player in a class with plenty of good talent. A highly-rated four-star, Marsh was the No. 107-ranked player in the class by 247Sports. Marsh, of course, stood out in fall camp like the high-profile recruit he was.
6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Marsh already had a man’s body. At just 18 years old.
“Possesses the size, athleticism, and multi-sport profile that projects very well in the long term,” 247Sports’ Gabe Brooks wrote. “Traitsy mismatch wideout with high-major impact potential and the ceiling to develop into an NFL Draft candidate.”
With the loss of Brown, Marsh was asked to step up. Step up he did — eight receptions for 194 receiving yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins might have his next in the line of Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week ago
Brussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
World1 week ago
Locals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week ago
Taiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
Politics1 week ago
'For election purposes': Critics balk at Harris' claim she will 'enforce our laws' at southern border
-
World7 days ago
Seven EU members hadn’t received any post-Covid funding by end-2023
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
‘September 5’ Review: Peter Sarsgaard Stars in a Gripping Newsroom Thriller About the 1972 Munich Terrorist Attacks
-
World4 days ago
Meloni says 'we are making history' as Italy’s FDI reviews progress