The 1960s: Our Early Beginnings
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January 1967
At the suggestion of teacher building rep, Jack McTyre,
Harold T. Shaw and James Shearer, both Maintenance
employees, met with President Ferd Cardano of the prince
George's County Educators Association and Executive
Secretary Fred Rummage of PGCEA at the PGCEA office in
Bladensburg to discuss setting up an employee organization
for classified employees of the school board. PGCEA agreed
to assist in doing so by providing some office space, a
telephone and, a staffer, Steve Bittner.
May 16, 1967
Prince George's County School Maintenance Association (SMA)
meets at Marlboro Elementary School and forms an
organization to represent maintenance employees who have no
contract, no annual leave, and many other disparities as
compared to teachers. Soon after, 98% of eligible employees
joined. Officers were President Jim Shearer (Electric Shop),
Vice President Harold Shaw (Electric Shop), Secretary Thomas
Tucker (Warehouse Manager), and Treasurer Charles Dent
(Warehouse Driver).
SMA negotiates first contract with the Board of Education
gaining a 7% increase and improved leave policy.
September 1968
500 classified employees attend a meeting at Prince
George's Community College to form the Association of
Classified Employees (ACE) expanding SMA. Jim Shearer
becomes Director of ACE and Harold Shaw is elected ACE
President.
Board officially recognizes ACE and grants it informal
permission to "meet and confer" about employee
concerns.
July 1, 1969
ACE - now 2,000 strong - negotiates a contract which
includes a 12% increase for cafeteria, and an 8% for
custodial, a 7% across-the-board for all other classified
employees and a raise in base pay for secretaries from
$3,445 to $3,686 per year. Also included were benefits like
life insurance fully funded by the Board and major
improvements in maternity, military, personal and sick
leave. Cafeteria, bus drivers/aides, school secretaries,
health and teacher aides went from 0 days to 3 days of
personal leave.
The 1970s: Benefits, Gains
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1970
Maryland Council of School Personnel Organizations (MCOSPO)
holds 1st statewide meeting. Ace Director Jim Shearer and
ACE President Harold Shaw represent Prince George's County.
MCOSPO was formed to provide means of organization for
school employees not already covered and a statewide school
employee retirement system.
January 1971
Board Grants classified employees right to choose an
exclusive representative. Shirley Lane becomes ACE
President.
February 24, 1971
600 employees hold demonstration outside Board of
Education meeting to demand their right to fully negotiate a
contract. They carry signs saying "Negotiate Now!"
and wore "Dignity" buttons in response to their
"second-class" position. The Board agrees to
support legislation which would grant its classified
employees collective bargaining rights.
June 9, 1971
ACE Board of Directors votes to affiliate with the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME) becoming ACE/AFSCME Local 2250, in order to gain
assistance, resources, and political experience from a
national union yet maintain autonomy. Mike Mooney, an
electrician from the Maintenance Shop, becomes President.
August 10, 1971
ACE/AFSCME becomes exclusive representative of employees
in cafeteria, central office, maintenance, school office,
health aides, hearing/vision technicians, IM aides, library
aides, transportation, and teacher aides. ACE/AFSCME gains
use of PONY mail and dues check-off.
1971-1972
ACE/AFSCME negotiates an average 12% wage increase for
all its members, and increase in the Board's share of health
premiums from 50 to 60%, and increase from 1-1/2 to 2 times
annual salary in free life insurance, and extra day of sick
leave and payment after retirement of some unused sick
leave, and mileage reimbursements for use of employee's car.
December 14, 1971
Board votes to pay retroactive pay increase agreed to in
July 1971, but frozen by the school superintendent because
of President Nixon's wage/price freeze. ACE/AFSCME had filed
a lawsuit in the name of a cafeteria employee to force the
superintendent to uphold the negotiated salary increase.
May 25, 1972
2,000 sign carrying County employees attend Prince
George's County Council Budget Hearings demanding a
cost-of-living increase. Average salary at the time was
$5,000 per year. They were led by Local 2250 as part of the
Coalition of Concerned County Employees.
July 1, 1972
Maryland's first collective bargaining bill becomes law.
September 1972
ACE/AFSCME agrees to delay work action plan after Board
and County Executive assure union they would try to come up
with additional monies to give classified employees a 3%
raise that other County employees received. Strong support
from membership caused the Board and County to reconsider
availability of funds.
July 1, 1973
Local 2250's first negotiated contract goes into effect.
Union was recognized as sole bargaining agent for all
classified employees except the custodial department which
chose the International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers,
Local 400, in a representation election. Local 2250 has the
distinction of being the first non-teaching school employee
organization to achieve collective bargaining rights in the
state of Maryland.
Governor Marvin
Mandel signs a local bill granting PG County School supporting services personnel the right to collective
bargaining with the Prince George's County Public Schools
Board of Education for wages, hours, and conditions of
employment.. Seated: William James, Pres. of the Senate; the Governor; Thomas Hunter Lowe, Speaker of the House. Standing: Peter J. Moralis, AFSCME International Area Director; Harold T. Shaw, AFSCME International Representative; James A. Shearer, ACE-AFSCME Local 2250 Executive Director; Delegate Frederick C. Rummage (Democrat, Third District); Ferd Cardano, Education Assoc. legislative leader; Michael W. Mooney, President of ACE-AFSCME Local 2250
1973-1974
Local 2250 negotiates a 7-step salary scale for all
transportation employees (previously 3-step for aides,
6-step for drivers, 5-step for driver trainers) meaning an
additional 5%increase for those at top scale in addition to
an overall 5.1% increase for all employees. Field trips
compensated at a 3-hour minimum and all employees received
an additional 2 days sick leave. S9ick leave could now be
used for disability related to pregnancy and the Board
increases its share of health premiums to 70%. Binding
arbitration was added to the grievance procedure and bus
drivers/aides start a seniority policy.
1975
After passage of state law, union pressures Board to
negotiate the state's first agency shop for public school
employees. (Agency shop means that employees covered by the
contract but not union members must pay a representation fee
to the union which then represents all employees.)
January 1975
Union wins grievance for bus drivers/aides who had not
received overtime pay of time and a half for over 40 hours
of work. All drivers/aides worked in excess of 40 hours got
retroactive pay from September 1974 through January 6, 1975
and any future overtime would be paid in appropriate pay.
Union got the Board to agree to eliminate the Open Lunch
program at County high schools. 2250 cited the loss of jobs
and hours for cafeteria employees.
September 1975
School bus drivers/aides object through union
representatives to a Board plan to pay strictly by the hour
violating the contract which provided for 22 prorated equal
pay checks. Possible results of new pay plan would be no
checks over Christmas holidays and a possible reduction in
overall annual salary. The drivers/aides won the dispute and
in addition got the Board to correct the current seniority
lists by having each driver/aide confirm his or her
seniority date along with the foremen and union rep. Also,
drivers/aides would choose routes and hours and be assigned
buses by seniority. The Board also agreed to ask principals
to back up the drivers on discipline.
June 1976
Local 2250
negotiates for an optical/prescription plan and a guaranteed
number of work days for 10-month employees as well as salary
and other improvements.
October
6, 1976
Local 2250 wins a
class action suit filed on September 21, 1976 on behalf of
203 members whose Special Unemployment Assistant (SUA)
claims had been denied because they had used the telephone
to actively seek employment. Each member then became
eligible retroactively to receive unemployment benefits from
the summer of 1976. (By law, we are no longer eligible
for SUA benefits.)
ACE-AFSCME asks for
PEOPLE check-off from Board so that members can contribute
money to support candidates who support public
employees. Approved for the 1978-1979 school year.
Union participates in
setting up accident review committee. Old way
consisted of one supervisor reviewing all accidents and
making decision. Review board consists of supervisor,
driver trainer, driver, union rep and a chairperson, a
safety officer, and State guidelines are followed to
determine preventability.
Central Garage Reps
begin monthly meetings with management to work out
problems.
Fall
1977
Local
2250 instrumental in influencing Board's decision not
to contract out trash collection.
January
1978
Superintendent
Feeney accepts petition of 100 bus drivers/aides to donate
one day each of sick leave to help out Greenbelt driver,
"Buddy" Thomas, who suffered a stroke on the
bus. (Forerunner to sick leave bank)
Union
files field trip grievance because management was paying
field trip rate for athletic trips. Union wins.
April
1978
Hundreds
of 2250 members travel to State legislature in Annapolis to
visit the Prince George's County delegation to oppose
pension bill that would significantly reduce benefits.
Bill defeated by House of Delegates. Hundreds of
letters were also sent.
July
1, 1978
Membership
approves sick leave bank and dental plan replacing old
income protection plan.
October
1978
Over
2,000 join the sick leave bank.
Fall
1978
Union
files and wins grievance on behalf of a sick bank member
because Board, contrary to agreement with union, says
employees would be in a leave of absence status when they
use the bank rather than on sick leave thereby having to pay
the Board's share of health premiums while out.
Employee
Assistance Program (EAP) set up to deal with employee
problems confidentially.
February
1979
County
Executive Hogan proposes elimination 120 health aides saying
secretaries could do the job. 200 health aides meet to
discuss action.
May
1979
Public
Employees Coalition calls for work-to-rule action which is
endorsed by Local 2250 due to Hogan's call for 3% increase
for County employees despite negotiated agreement for a
higher increase. 1,000 County employees march on
County Administration Building to protest Hogan's budget and
potential loss of jobs for health aides, secretaries and
printers.
The
March On Marlboro was a successful protest effort by 11
county employee unions - including Local 2250 - opposed to
County Executive Hogan's budget. - Reprinted from May 1979
ACE-AFSCME Reporter
The
1980's: Solidarity Reigns
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March
31, 1981
Cafeteria
employees hold special meeting to discuss how to fight
Reagan budget cuts to school lunch programs.
September
1981
Many
Local 2250 member march with thousands of AFSCME
members from around the country at massive Solidarity Day
march in Washington, DC.
1981
Union
files grievance on behalf of bus drivers after School
Superintendent Feeney forbids principals from hiring bus
drivers for field trips if they drive more than 8
hours. The new regulations would have allowed outside
contractors to fill in if the principal could not find a
driver. Federal regulations allow drivers to operate a
passenger vehicle for 10hours/day of actual driving time and
an additional 5 hours/day on duty but not driving equaling
70 hours in 8 days. The union won the grievance.
August
18, 1982
Membership
agrees to delay scheduled July 1, 1982 pay increase until
April 1983 to save 300 members' jobs. County Executive
Glendenning then agrees in April 1983 to pay increase
retroactively to January 1, 1983
September
18, 1982
Local
2250 wins back hours that had been cut for Chapter 1 aides.
April
10, 1984
Local
2250 along with other employee organizations files class
action suit to challenge constitutionality of proposed new
retirement system.
July
1984
New
pay grade (Grade 05, Salary Table 100) contained in
negotiated agreement for instructional aides with 60 hours
college credit.
July
1987
Board
attempted to reduce cafeteria hours. A modified
agreement was reached which resulted in a very limited
staffing change.
School
Board votes 6-3 to support union over School Superintendent
that under our negotiated agreement we had the right to
binding arbitration for disciplinary matters. Arbitrator in
a termination case also decided in our favor and as a
result, a fired employee was reinstated with full back pay.
September
30, 1987
Over
300 school secretaries meet over inadequate staffing, taking
work home and having to come in early. Union
successful in getting an additional $400,000 to fund health
aides and school secretaries. Secretaries also met
with Superintendent of Schools and School Board and attended
County Council meetings.
February
1988
Union
initiates legislation which would reduce an employee's
taxable income by the amount of the employee's pension
contribution. In 1986, union persuaded state
legislature to submit such an employee "pick-up"
plan to IRS.
No
loss of staff and a restoration of lost hours was the result
of union negotiations with Food Service Administration at
Langley-McCormick Elementary
April
1988
School
secretaries continue to fight by meeting with all nine
School Board members separately and attending County Council
meetings to raise issues mentioned above.
September
1988
Union
Privilege Benefit Program offered to all members at no cost
which includes a low cost Master Card, access to reduced fee
legal services, reduced fee travel service program, and life
insurance
December
1989
AFSCME
Local 2 735 and 2462 representing Prince George's County
Department of Public Works thank 2250 for voluntarily
withdrawing from County snow removal training programs
causing County to cancel them. Continued participation
of our members in the program would have cost 2735 and 2462
overtime pay and their members were expected to train our
members.
Local
2250 members prepare to march at Solidarity Day II in
September 1991 in Washington D.C.
The
1990's: Contracting Out is OUT!
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March
1990
Due
to efforts of Local 2250 and PGCEA in holding meetings with
Representative "Buzz" Ryan, HB206 was killed in
Annapolis. It would have limited the County's ability
to give pay raises to County employees and would have
penalized the County if it used state funds to do so.
April
11, 1990
AFSCME
sponsored bill with significant 2250 support passes
legislature giving bus drivers an extension up to six months
to pass new CDL test
1990
New
contract includes wage increases, optional 26-pay period for
10-month employees, stipend increase for satellite lunch
program employees, increase in tool allotment for Central
Garage, maintenance employees will now receive a tool
allowance, one additional longevity step for each salary
schedule and an increase in field trip rate. And most
importantly, NO CONTRACTING OUT for life of
4-year contract.
1989
- Pictured here are Tony Inquanti (auxiliary bus driver) and
Carol Inquanti, with their daughter, Tracy, who is receiving
and AFSCME scholarship from Local 2250 President Mike
Mooney.
1994
Contract
extended for 3 years with 4% wage increase over life of
contract, continued use of PONY mail (which Board had tried
to take away) and NO CONTRACTING OUT for life of
contract.
Listen
to what these long-time members have to say:
Alma
Brown
(Executive
Board member for school secretaries - Calverton Elementary
and member of the first negotiating team) 1994
"The
phrase, 'You've come a long way baby,' applies to Local
2250. When I started work in the late 1960s,
secretaries made $500 per year part-time and $2,000 per year
fulltime with no benefits. No classified employee
could join the retirement system. And, there was no
one to turn to with problems except the principal."
Mike
Mooney/ Jim Shearer
(Local
2250 President and Executive Director, respectively, and
members of the first negotiating team. Mike is still
an employee of the Maintenance Department but in 1994 on
leave to serve as the Local's President) 1994
"Maintenance
workers had to work 48 hours per week straight time with no
overtime and no travel time back to the main shop."
said Mooney. "As for sick leave, "
according to Shearer, "workers earned 10 days and if
they had any sick leave left over it was considered annual
leave. Workers also had to pay 100% of the health care
premiums unlike the teachers who didn't have to pay that
much."
Sarah
Parker
(Executive
Board member, Central Office) 1994
"Before
the union, management could move workers anywhere they
wanted, shifting us from office to office with no regard for
input from the workers, Also, a supervisor would clock
the workers when they used the bathroom, and if they took
too long, would even follow us into the bathroom."
Joan
Cavanaugh
(Former
Executive Board member, retired Cafeteria worker)
"Without
the union, we wouldn't be where we are today. Our jobs
are secure, and the union wins tremendous pay increases for
us." Cavanaugh recalls that years ago a former
department head tried to intimidate her for signing up union
members. "This manager told me that if I
continued to sign members up I would not be promoted to food
manager, and that I would not be allowed to attend a
union convention to which I had been elected a delegate by
the members. All it took way one phone call from the
union."
Barbara
J. Ward
(Former
Shop Steward for 16 years, bus driver, Surrattsville Lot)
1994
"Back
in 1970, when I began driving a bus, another steward asked
me to come to union meetings and get involved. I was
just a little old housewife and at first, I was afraid to
go. But then I realized what power the union had when
with their help, we got a pay phone installed since
management wouldn't let the drivers use the office phones
even for job related calls and also a bus shed and bathroom
facilities."
Special Thanks to:
-
Harold Shaw
for his photography skills, knowledge, and overall
coordination.
-
Terry
Houston for her word processing of all the
material and her general assistance and support.
-
Susan Lesser
for her idea to do this page and for doing the research,
writing, and interviewing for the history of AFSCME
Local 2250.
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