The 2026 legislative session demonstrated the critical role organized labor plays in protecting public employees, defending collective bargaining, and ensuring lawmakers hear directly from the workers impacted by proposed legislation. Through coordinated union advocacy, member engagement, legislative outreach, and direct conversations with elected officials, MPEC members helped shape legislative outcomes affecting Maryland state employees and the public services they provide.
Protecting Parole Hearing Examiner Positions
One of the most important victories this session involved HB 16 and the Maryland Parole Commission.
As originally drafted, HB 16 proposed eliminating Parole Hearing Examiner positions and reallocating those duties to newly created commissioner positions, without meaningful transition or job protections for current employees. MPEC immediately raised concerns about the legislation’s impact on employees and requested meetings with lawmakers to discuss the workforce implications and operational realities of the parole process.
Mya Collins, a Parole Hearing Examiner and 25-year state employee with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, helped organize her colleagues to respond to the legislation. Hearing examiners met directly with Delegates Elizabeth Embry and N. Scott Phillips to explain the critical work they perform and provide firsthand insight into how the parole process functions in practice.
Those conversations mattered.
By bringing the voices of frontline employees directly into the legislative process, hearing examiners were able to clarify concerns surrounding the bill and advocate for practical solutions. Following those meetings, HB 16 was amended to protect the jobs of current hearing examiners.
This outcome serves as a powerful reminder that when workers organize and speak collectively, they can shape legislation and protect both public services and the employees who deliver them.
Defending State Employee Compensation
MPEC also continued advocating for fair compensation and the integrity of collective bargaining during the State budget process.
In written testimony submitted to the House Appropriations Committee, MPEC President Jerry Smith urged legislators to support negotiated salary scale adjustments reached through collective bargaining with the Moore-Miller administration.
The testimony highlighted the significant workforce losses experienced through the Voluntary Separation Program (VSP), including the elimination of hundreds of positions, while many remaining employees continue performing the work of multiple vacancies.
MPEC opposed proposals from the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) to eliminate negotiated salary scale adjustments, arguing that doing so would undermine good-faith CBSbargaining and unfairly impact state employees already facing rising living costs.
Throughout the legislative session, MPEC continued to advocate for:
- Protecting negotiated agreements
- Preserving professional state employee positions
- Fair and equitable compensation
- Respect for the collective bargaining process
- Policies informed by the employees performing the work
The 2026 session reinforced an important truth: organized workers who engage directly in the legislative process can influence outcomes, protect their professions, and strengthen the future of public service in Maryland.