AFTHCMD Meets with State Leaders

AFT-Maryland organizer Robin Raynor helped organize a meeting between state workers at Spring Grove Hospital Center and elected officials. State Sen. Bill Ferguson and Del. Brooke Lierman joined union staff and members at the facility to discuss the ongoing challenges state healthcare workers face. This meeting continues a series of meetings AFT-Maryland have set up across the state. In advance of the legislative session, the state federation is working to get members face-to-face with elected officials so they can hear what the work experiences in state facilities are like.

Del. Lierman asked insightful questions about the patient population at the facility. Given her background in law, she was curious about the specifics of patients who end up in one of the state’s forensic hospitals. Sen. Ferguson is on the Budget and Taxation Committee which may be able to aid our members in finding the resources that will increase staffing, which has been a major issue for members. Sen. Ferguson was attentive to the issues and complaints that members had and took notes to review later and discuss with the proper authorities.

Elected officials have been responsive to the call of the union. The visit by these legislators follows other visits from Del. Pat Young, Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, Del. Terri Hill, and Sen. Guy Guzzone. Each of those visits were also organized by the state federation in response to member frustration at their worksites. These meetings build toward the legislative session when the union and members will press legislators to hold the Department of Health accountable for improving the work conditions in the state’s forensic hospitals.

2019-09-12