MD COPE Report: New Law Protects Union Members

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Maryland became just the second state in the country – joining Illinois – to legally protect union members’ information when Governor Martin O’Malley signed a bill into law on May 2 making communication between union reps and members involved in a grievance or arbitration “privileged information.” The new law means that management will no longer have legal grounds for demanding information about a member’s situation from union reps or shop stewards. UFCW Local 400 was the force behind the bill, battling lobbyists including Verizon, which has been demanding extreme concessions in ongoing negotiations with CWA. “When the law is enacted on October 2,” says UFCW 400 Director of Legislative Growth Strategies and Trustee Tony Perez, "it should have an immediate impact on our membership as well as union members statewide." “Union members no longer need to fear that their confidential union information will be shared with the bosses,” added Metro Council President Jos Williams, who testified in support of the legislation at a hearing in Annapolis earlier this year. “This historic legislation will benefit all unions in Maryland. - photo of bill signing by Rick Powell