Debra Perry, President of AFT Healthcare-Maryland and Executive Director Michael McNally met February 4th with Governor Hogan’s representative Cindy Kollner, Executive Director of Department of Budget and Management to begin negotiations over proposals that would help the Governor balance the budget and still honor the agreements in the existing MOU executed between the Union and the O’Malley administration before they left office.
President Perry made it clear that AFT Healthcare-Maryland members are expecting Governor Hogan to do the honorable thing and fully fund and implement the economic provisions in the collective bargaining agreement (MOU) which would mean the Cost of Living Allowance implemented January 1, 2015 will be funded for all of 2015 and that the increment, or step, will be funded for all of 2015 and 2016.
AFT Healthcare-Maryland has another negotiation session with DBM on February 11, 2015 where we will continue to stress the importance of Governor Hogan doing the honorable thing and keeping the agreements negotiated in the MOU.
One way to reinforce the message to the Governor is to join other Union members in Annapolis on February 9th to lobby the legislature. Buses will leave several sites in Baltimore at 5:30 p.m.
For details, call Todd Reynolds, AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator at (410) 764-3030 or treynolds@aftmd.org to reserve a seat on the bus.
M. McNally, 2/5/2015