May Day rally in Salisbury highlights union concerns over collective bargaining rights
SALISBURY, Md. — Labor and community organizations gathered Saturday in Salisbury to mark May Day with a rally focused on protecting collective bargaining rights for city workers, amid concerns about a potential policy change under consideration by local officials.
The event, held at Unity Square, was organized by Wicomico Public Libraries United and AFSCME Maryland Council 3, along with other labor groups. Organizers said the rally aimed to celebrate organized labor while urging the Salisbury City Council to reject any effort that could weaken union protections.
Union leaders warned that a proposed resolution under consideration by the city could strip some municipal employees of their ability to collectively bargain — a move they say would undermine workers’ rights and harm the broader community.
“Unions are not only about contracts; they ensure that working people have a voice in the decisions that shape our lives,” said Laura Toner, president of Wicomico Public Libraries United. She added that solidarity among workers strengthens communities and helps resist efforts that divide them.
Anissa Pierce-Sessoms, executive vice president of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, called on city leaders to stand with employees and reject any measure that would roll back union rights.
“These workers fought hard to win their union, and to take their union rights away would be a disservice to our city workers, our city services, and the Salisbury community as a whole,” Pierce-Sessoms said.
The rally comes months after library employees and supervisors in Wicomico County formed a union under Maryland’s Library Workers Empowerment Act. Organizers said those workers are now joining other city employees to oppose what they describe as attacks on organized labor.
WPL United and AFSCME Maryland Council 3 represent public employees across Maryland’s Eastern Shore, advocating for worker protections and labor rights in local government.
City officials have not publicly detailed the full scope or timeline of the proposed resolution.
