MontCo Council Approves County Worker Contracts

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Sustained applause from county workers greeted the 8-1 Montgomery County Council vote approving their contracts Tuesday morning. “We sincerely appreciate your service and all your hard work,” Council President Nancy Navarro told the county workers, fire fighters and police officers gathered in Council chambers. UFCW 1994 MCGEO president Gino Renne credited the alliance of county workers unions – Local 1994, Fire Fighters 36 and the FOP – with negotiating a contract that included 13.5% increases over two years for most members that drew strong support from County Executive Ike Leggett and the majority of the Council. “The last few years have been brutal on you and your families,” Renne told his members after the vote. “That’s why we stood together with the FOP and the fire fighters union and that’s why the unions have stood arm in arm.” And while Tuesday’s approval of the contracts means “we won the fight,” Renne warned that “the war’s not over,” a message that was echoed by FOP Lodge 35 president Torrie Cooke and Local 36 president-elect Jeff Buddle, who congratulated his fellow county workers and said “I’m looking forward to working together to get Year 2 (of the contracts) funded.” Councilmember Hans Riemer joined Councilmember Marc Elrich in congratulating the workers, saying that “You put our county’s values into action every day and you didn’t give up on us even when you thought we’d given up on you.” Many of the Local 1994 members stayed on to join the Raise Maryland press conference opposing the proposed Aspen Hill Walmart.
- report/photo by Chris Garlock