AFT Maryland Celebrates Historic Expansion of Collective Bargaining Rights to Thousands of Four-Year Public University Faculty

ANNAPOLIS, MD – In a historic win for Maryland higher education workers, the Maryland General Assembly has passed legislation, which now heads to the Governor’s desk, extending collective bargaining rights to the vast majority of non-tenure track faculty – including full-time, part-time/adjunct faculty – at Maryland's four-year public universities.

“Collective bargaining creates equity across the board and allows underpaid faculty to have a living wage and access to benefits; what should be a human right,” said Robert Bennett, Part-Time Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Chair of the Adjunct Faculty Advisory Committee. “For too long, a broken system has left many faculty exploited by their institutions. With today's victory expanding collective bargaining rights to non-tenure track faculty, Maryland is giving a meaningful voice to faculty who dedicate their lives to our public universities and students.”

This victory is the result of years of organizing and advocacy on campuses, in communities, and in Annapolis by AFT Maryland. In 2021, the Maryland State Legislature expanded collective bargaining rights to community college faculty. Since then, AFT Maryland – which represents over 18,000 workers across sectors, including K-12 educators, higher education faculty and staff, state employees, nurses, and healthcare professionals – has worked tirelessly with faculty throughout Maryland to extend the same rights to faculty at Maryland's four-year public universities.

"This victory marks a turning point for Maryland public higher education faculty," said Dr. Tina Kelleher, a Teaching Professor at Towson University and President of the TU AAUP chapter. "Non-tenure track faculty lack financial stability and job security. Collective bargaining creates options to be heard meaningfully, so that we can prioritize our students' learning needs and so that our institutions can rise to meet the challenges ahead." 

The critical legislation was championed by AFT Maryland, and throughout this legislative session, faculty across the state made clear to lawmakers the challenges of working without collective bargaining protections, sharing personal stories of financial instability after decades of work and the lack of voice in decisions that affect their students and their work.

“For years, I have heard from faculty who have been showing up for their students while barely keeping their heads above water and without a seat at the table,” said AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell. “We have seen the transformative impact of collective bargaining for community college faculty who have won historic union contracts, and we know we will see that same transformation for these thousands of university faculty in the state. Today, we celebrate, and tomorrow we keep fighting – fighting to organize our non-tenure track faculty so they have a voice and fighting to extend collective bargaining rights to all faculty.”

While certain groups of non-tenure track faculty are omitted, thousands of faculty will now have the right to collectively bargain over wages, benefits, and working conditions, and have a seat at the table on decisions that shape the working conditions and educational mission of universities across Maryland. The passage of this legislation ensures that non-tenure track public university faculty in Maryland have the same rights enjoyed by faculty at four-year institutions in 25 other states across the country.

"When workers have a voice at work everyone wins: the students we teach and the communities we serve. And, at a time when faculty are facing daily attacks on their freedom to think and to teach, the right to negotiate with their employers for better wages and conditions is more important than ever,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This legislation represents a historic step forward for Maryland and brings us closer to ensuring all higher education workers can bargain for a better life—for themselves, their colleagues and their students.”

This victory is proof of what organizing can achieve, and it would not have been possible without the legislative champions for our public faculty, bill sponsors Senator Ben Kramer and Delegate Linda Foley. AFT Maryland will not stop fighting until all four-year faculty have the same collective bargaining rights guaranteed to nearly all other Maryland public employees.

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AFT Maryland represents over 18,000 educators, paraprofessionals, university faculty and staff, state and local government employees, and healthcare professionals. AFT Maryland remains a leading advocate in Annapolis for the rights and protections of all Maryland workers.