Armed with more than 6,200 signed petitions, Salisbury, MD Local 4246 and a coalition of labor groups have moved the fight over collective bargaining to the ballot box. If enough signatures are verified, voters will decide whether city workers keep their collective bargaining rights.
“We are grateful for the overwhelming support we have received so far,” Brandon Records, president of Salisbury Career Firefighters Local 4246, said. “The sheer volume of signatures shows that the citizens favor our right to collectively bargain. We now look forward to keeping our momentum to the polls at election time.”
The fight in Salisbury is part of a broader national pattern of elected officials moving to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights — often citing budget constraints — leaving fire fighters, police officers, and other public employees without a seat at the table on wages, safety standards, and staffing levels.
In Salisbury, workers aren’t waiting for a legislative fix. They’re taking the fight to the voters after the City Council voted 3-2 in May to repeal its collective bargaining charter provision.
The council vote was met with immediate pushback. Local 4246 joined forces with the local chapters of the Fraternal Order of Police and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to gather public support and force the issue onto the ballot.
The coalition spent weeks engaged in a public education campaign that included demonstrations and door-to-door information drops. The coalition needed signatures from 20% of registered voters – 3,504 signatures. It submitted more than 6,200.
Mayor Randy Taylor has said union demands were too expensive and do not fit the city budget.
If cost is the issue, collective bargaining is where those issues are worked out. Safe communities start with strong fire departments, and strong fire departments depend on stability. That stability comes from collective bargaining. It comes from bringing people together to solve problems, not taking away the processes that allows them to do it.
General President Edward kelly
“If cost is the issue, collective bargaining is where those issues are worked out,” General President Edward Kelly wrote to the council. “Safe communities start with strong fire departments, and strong fire departments depend on stability.
“That stability comes from collective bargaining,” he continued. “It comes from bringing people together to solve problems, not taking away the processes that allows them to do it.”
The petition signatures are now under review by the Wicomico County Board of Elections. It is not clear how long the verification process will take. If certified, there are three potential options on a voting day: a special election within 90 days of certification, the November 2026 general election, and the November 2027 municipal election.
