Faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County have clinched a tentative first-ever union contract, securing multi-year pay increases, new leave protections, and stronger job security language, union leaders said. The agreement caps a year of organizing that put wages and working conditions at the three-campus system squarely under the microscope.
According to Baltimore Fishbowl, the deal, negotiated by United Academics of Maryland, an affiliate of AFT Maryland, provides a total of 12.6% in salary increases over the next three fiscal years through a combination of merit-step raises and cost-of-living adjustments. Baltimore Fishbowl reports that the tentative agreement also establishes enforceable academic freedom protections, creates a faculty-only sick-leave bank, and improves access to parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
What the agreement covers
The contract text lays out clearer procedures intended to limit undue discipline for early-career instructors and formalizes grievance and evaluation processes meant to boost transparency across departments. “I’m proud of the hard work done by our bargaining team and the support of our faculty in negotiating a fair contract,” Michael Hands, CCBC chapter chair, said in a statement reported by Baltimore Fishbowl.
Background and legal context
The Maryland Public Employee Relations Board certified the union as the exclusive bargaining representative after hearings in 2024, a legal step that cleared the way for formal contract negotiations. The board’s decision notes that CCBC operates three main campuses, in Catonsville, Dundalk, and Essex, and employs roughly 400 full-time faculty members (Maryland PERB). The broader organizing campaign follows a 2021 change in state law that extended collective bargaining rights to community college faculty, as reported by Maryland Matters.
Next steps
The tentative agreement still needs to be ratified by union members before it can take effect. United Academics of Maryland states that tentative agreements are sent to members for a ratification vote as a standard part of the bargaining process. Once ratified, the new contract’s raises and protections would roll out according to the timelines and procedures spelled out in the agreement and in the college’s applicable rules (United Academics of Maryland).
Why it matters
Labor leaders say the CCBC deal adds momentum to a string of first-time contracts at Maryland community colleges since the state expanded bargaining rights, and argue it could bolster retention and classroom stability by improving pay and making working conditions more predictable. AFT Maryland and allied unions have been touting similar tentative agreements and contracts at other campuses as part of a broader statewide organizing push, and advocates note that these deals are reshaping how colleges handle pay, promotions, and discipline, with potential ripple effects for students and county budgets (AFT Maryland).
The agreement will remain tentative until faculty voting is complete. Union leaders say the gains, especially the multi-year pay increases and new academic freedom language, mark a significant shift for instructors at CCBC and for community college labor across Maryland.
