The signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the State of Maryland and AFT Healthcare-Maryland, AFT, AFL-CIO Local 05197 for the period between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2026 is available for members to view on our website, as well as on Maryland.gov.
Weingarten rights guarantee an employee the right to Union representation during an investigatory interview. These rights, established by the Supreme Court, in 1975 in the case of J Weingarten Inc., must be claimed by the employee. The supervisor has no obligation to inform an employee that s/he is entitled to Union representation.
Below are the links to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the State of Maryland and AFT Healthcare-Maryland Local 5197 for the period 2021 through 2023, and the amendment to the MOU signed December 2021.
We concluded negotiations with the Department of Budget and Management regarding budget reductions effecting our members. The agreement includes the following:
The 2% COLA for FY 21 will be eliminated for bargaining unit E members
The $500 tuition and training reimbursement program will be discontinued
Beginning on 8/12/20 leave time will no longer be treated as work time for the purposes of earning overtime for FY 21
Beginning on 1/1/21, the State will no longer pay more than the negotiated health benefits premium percentages. The State will revert to contributing 80% of the premium charge for
Field Coordinator Rose Wertz of AFT Healthcare testified in front of the Board of Public Works regarding budget cuts on behalf of our members. Find her letter here:
In 2011, the Maryland State Legislature passed a pension reform bill which made changes to retirement benefits to control state costs. Employees were required to increase their contribution to the pension plan from 5% to 7%, without any increase in monthly allowance in retirement. The legislation created a lower benefit level for employees hired after July 1, 2012. The sixteen years an employee must work to qualify for health benefits in retirement was extended for new hires. The bill also eliminated prescription drug benefits for retirees age 65 or older effective January 1, 2020. The
