Fighting for Collective Bargaining
Faculty at Maryland’s four-year colleges and universities are the only major group of state employees that lack the legal right to bargain a contract with their employers. Since 2023, UAM-UMD has been working in partnership with AFT-Maryland and higher education institutions across the state, to advocate in the Maryland General Assembly for faculty collective bargaining rights.
UAM-UMD is an advocacy chapter of the American Association of University Presidents (AAUP). That means we act and operate like a union – pushing for better working conditions, sharing faculty concerns with the public and media, and supporting our members – despite not being legally recognized, while continuing to lobby for this recognition in Annapolis.
Many Marylanders are surprised to learn that faculty at the state’s four-year institutions of higher learning do not have the legal right to collective bargaining. K-12 teachers and community college faculty across the state have this right, as do university staff. Together with our graduate worker siblings in the Graduate Labor Union, UAM-UMD has worked to get collective bargaining bills passed.
Join the fight for collective bargaining! Our Legislative Committee works with lawmakers and partner organizations in the UAM coalition to draft legislation, organize lobbying opportunities, and collect and present testimony during hearings.