Our University Police Officers (UPO) are represented by Maryland Classified Employees Association, Inc. (MCEA). We began negotiations on December 10, 2002, and, as of July 2004, both parties had reached a tentative agreement on an MOU for represented UPO employees. This process took nineteen months to complete, with both parties meeting for thirty-two negotiation sessions. The MOU was put into effect on October 22, 2004, following approval by the USM Board of Regents.
Our Non-Exempt Staff, numbering some 230 employees, are also represented by Maryland Classified Employees Association, Inc., the only USM campus to be represented exclusively by MCEA. We began these negotiations on June 3, 2004. During the past six months, we have had ten negotiation sessions. Out of the forty-three articles in the MOU, we have settled sixteen.