Baltimore City Community College faculty ratify first-ever contract

After more than a year and a half of negotiations, a faculty union at Baltimore City Community College has ratified its first-ever contract.

The union, represented by United Academics of Maryland Local 6628 and an affiliate of American Federation of Teachers-Maryland, voted unanimously on the contract that includes a 3.25% raise and a $1,000 bonus in the first year. It also establishes wage increases of at least 8.25% over the three year life of the contract, “clearer criteria for promotion, and critical protections, including a successorship agreement that ensures faculty keep their union in the event of a merger or reduction in force.”

A community college spokesperson said the college declined to comment Thursday.

AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell said Thursday that BCCC becomes the seventh institution represented by UAM to ratify a contract after collective bargaining rights were granted to community college faculty thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 746 and House Bill 894 in 2021.

“We’re very excited, especially since this has been an uphill battle for a little over 19 months,” she said of the Monday vote at BCCC. “There were some little challenges that we ran into, but the bargaining teams stood tall. They stuck with the process while working. I am very proud of the work that the team has put in to try to get their first-ever union contract.”

Campbell joined community college faculty, students and other supporters at a rally on the campus in September urging the college to pay staff fair and timely wages.

Besides late pay, some faculty then mentioned the lack of supplies for students, and how some classes had no instructors when classes began in the previous year.

The ratification of the contract comes after a state audit released June 3 showed the college awarded $264,000 in financial aid to 145 potentially fictitious or “ghost students.” In addition, the school did not adhere to some state procurement laws and didn’t adequately verify certain payments, the audit said.

A document released in May by the state Higher Education Commission notes the community college’s student enrollment in fall 2025 stood at nearly 4,100 full- and part-time students. In comparison during the 2023-24 school year, the student enrollment was about 4,200.

In the meantime, union leaders are pleased to see a contract get ratified based on the recent audit “that identified widespread mismanagement and confirmed what faculty have been saying for years.”

“Faculty at Baltimore City Community College work tirelessly to prepare our young people for a brighter future — all they ask for in return is to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. “This hard-fought first contract guarantees pathways to promotions, secures significant and overdue wage increases, and provides protections to ensure faculty can always be represented by a union.

“It shows, once again, that by joining together we can achieve a far better life for educators, students and communities than we ever could alone. That is what a fair contract is all about,” she said.