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AFSCME members tell board they were promised better pay after bargaining; say morale and staffing are suffering
Summary
Representatives of AFSCME local 1899 told the board that custodial and maintenance staff have faced low pay, understaffing and unmet promises from negotiations and asked for fair compensation and respect for their work.
Leaders and members of AFSCME Local 1899 told the Howard County Board of Education on March 27 that custodial, maintenance and other school support staff are underpaid, understaffed and have not received promised recognition following last year’s bargaining.
Anthony Fulmore, a day-building lead at Bonnie Branch Middle School speaking as secretary of AFSCME Local 1899, told the board the unit represents roughly 600 custodial and maintenance staff and said members feel disrespected and undervalued. Fulmore said members partially deferred cost-of-living adjustments last year to help the district avoid layoffs and that district negotiators told the union they would be “taken care of” in the following year; Fulmore said those commitments had not materialized.
AFSCME representatives described challenges hiring and retention, described examples of members responding to emergency calls and HVAC failures, and asked the board to ensure negotiated commitments are met. Board members thanked the speakers and said they appreciated the testimony; one board member requested AFSCME submit their written remarks electronically for further consideration.
The board did not take immediate action on AFSCME’s request during the meeting; bargaining remains a separate process and board members emphasized budget constraints are part of the operating-budget timeline.
