News

Leadership of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees took time out of their Christmas celebrations with their own loved ones, to deliver presents to county public safety personnel that worked on Christmas Day. President John Ripley donned a Santa costume (beard is all his own however) to spread good cheer to those working. The union prepared care packages leading up to the holiday that Santa and his helper, Mrs. Mary Ripley, delivered to public safety workers helping to keep us safe. It wasn’t the first time that President RipleyClaus made an appearance. This year at the County

The Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees Local 4883 will be participating in the 24th Annual MSP Polar Bear Plunge this coming January 25, 2020, which means we will be jumping into the Chesapeake Bay in support of Special Olympics Maryland! But before we do, we need your help to reach our fundraising goal. 

This year, our team will be "BCFPE Local 4883 - Labor for Love". Your gift will not only help us get into the water in January, but it will also directly support more than 8,000 Special Olympics Maryland athletes who train and compete in a variety of sports year-round across the

The locals that serve members in Baltimore county were out and about engaging public employees. Union Day was a success as the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees and the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses met members and prospective members at their worksite to have conversation around the benefits of joining the union and recent updates to union contracts. Organizers Frank Pratka and Janell Edmonds manned tables in a 3rd floor break room on Friday November 22nd at the Drumcastle County Government Office. 

Pratka said the union day was an opportunity to get out and

On November 14, 2019, the BCFPE Executive Board voted unanimously to appoint Brother Philbert Christian and Sister Graceann Rehbein to vacant Area Vice President positions on the board, for the remainder of the current term.

Brother Christian has been an active BCFPE member since joining county services over five years ago. Brother Christian also brings with him many decades of union experience, including being an active retired member of our sister union, City Union of Baltimore (CUB) and served on an Executive Committee for Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT). Brother Christian will

BCFPE will be holding Union Days on Thursday Nov. 21, 2019 at the Public Safety Building and Friday Nov. 22, 2019 at Drumcastle Center for Pay Schedule I and III employees. Union reps will be available to discuss benefits of union membership, upcoming negotiations, and to answer questions. Lite refreshments will be provided.

Thurs. Nov. 21, 2019
Baltimore County Public Safety Building
(click for flyer)
700 E Joppa Road, Towson, MD 21286
6th Floor Conference Room
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Open ONLY to Police and Fire Pay Schedule I Employees at 700 E Joppa Rd.

Fri. Nov. 22, 2019
Drumcastle Center
(click

“The state of our union is good”. With that announcement, President John Ripley shared with the general body the good news of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE). The union’s general membership meeting featured food, fellowship, and updates on the business of the union. President Ripley and Executive Vice President Adam Hendrix represented the executive board at the meeting fielding specific questions from members and giving those in attendance a general overview of the affairs of BCFPE.

The president reported the union is in good financial standing and all accounts have

UPDATE: On September 5, 2019, The BCFPE Executive Board approved the below FY2021 Negotiations Committee. Please email them any negotiations suggestions.

BCFPE FY2021 NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE:

• John Ripley, BCFPE President & Committee Chair – jripley@aft-maryland.org
• Adam Hendrix, BCFPE Executive Vice President – ahendrix@aft-maryland.org
• Tania Lemmon, Corrections – 5683810@gmail.com
• Kasia Gatchalian, 911 Center – kasiagatch@gmail.com
• Ivy Perez, Dept. of Public Works – iperez@baltimorecountymd.gov

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BCFPE is seeking motivated volunteers interested in being on the FY2021 Negotiations Committee. 

Involvement

County Administration moves forward with long sought after plans of a comprehensive salary review with other Maryland Correctional Departments.

After many years of arguing that a comprehensive comparison clearly shows there are significant short falls in long term salary compensations for the dedicated Correctional Officers at the Baltimore County Department of Corrections, the County Administration has initiated the official salary review process.  Available data shows that Baltimore County Department of Corrections Officers are making a significant amount less than their counterparts in other

In one way or another it can be said that all politics are local. That means that whether engaging with county, state, or federal elected officials, members of BCFPE are ensuring those conversations provide tangible benefits for Baltimore county employees. The union took a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with legislators about bills that would reclassify 9-1-1 operators. The legislation pending at the federal level already has the support of Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, so members focused their visits on Pennsylvania Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey (BCFPE has members who