Salisbury council approves charter amendment to repeal collective bargaining after heated public hearing

Salisbury — The Salisbury City Council voted on May 26 to approve charter amendment resolution 2026-3, a measure to repeal Article 23 of the city charter that authorizes collective bargaining by city employees. The roll call in the transcript records Councilwoman Blake voting Nay, Councilwoman Deields Aye, Councilwoman Holland Aye, Councilwoman Gregory Nay, and Council President Jackson Aye; the motion was recorded as approved on the council floor following a public hearing.

Union leaders, firefighters and dozens of residents urged council members to reject the repeal during a lengthy public hearing. Anissa Pierce Cessums, executive vice president of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, told the council that stripping bargaining rights would “silence the workers” and warned it would harm collaboration on workplace safety and service delivery. “Your actions tonight will send a strong message to the people who make the city run,” she said.

Brandon Records, president of Local 4246, read a statement from the International Association of Fire Fighters warning that removing bargaining rights undermines retention and recruitment: “Safe communities start with strong departments, and strong departments depend on stability. The stability comes from collective bargaining.” Several firefighters and family members testified about workplace risks and the emotional stakes; one speaker described losing a family member who had served the department.

Council members who supported the repeal framed their votes as a response to fiscal pressures. Councilwoman Holland, who described herself as a longtime worker and steward of the city’s finances, said she voted based on concerns about the city’s long-term fiscal sustainability and the risk of funding operations with a surplus. “There’s nothing I could sit behind this table tonight and not cast the vote I did based strictly on the budget,” she said.

Opponents disputed the fiscal rationale, arguing that collective bargaining and municipal budgeting are separate matters and that removing bargaining could increase long-term costs through turnover, recruitment disruptions and weakened morale. Several speakers said they planned an immediate effort to put the question to voters; one resident announced a petition drive that would make a ballot challenge available starting the morning after the meeting.

The transcript records strong emotions in the chamber: union leaders appealed to shared public-service values, while some residents and speakers pushed back in support of the council’s fiscal decisions. After the hearing closed at 7:14 p.m., the council proceeded to the roll-call vote listed above.

What happens next: Opponents in the room said petitions to place the repeal on the ballot would become available beginning the following day and that a signature drive was already planned. The council did not hold a separate recorded vote to rescind its action at the meeting; the transcript ends with councilmembers’ closing remarks and adjournment shortly after 8 p.m.

(Reporting note: vote attributions and quoted remarks are taken from the council transcript of May 26, 2026.)