An Open Letter to Our Neighbors and Friends in Garrett County
From the Garrett County Roads Employees
The Republican
Paid Ad
(April 16)
We need your support in our fight with the County Commissioners. We are on strike because these men have refused to talk with our chosen representatives.
For 15 years we had an association and tried to bargain with the County Commissioners in order to improve our wages and working conditions. Too often we were duped, given promises that were not kept and tricked into accepting terms that were not to our benefit. We finally realized that we were no match for the commissioners and the legal advisors they had at their command. We decided to merge our association with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees-AFL-CIO so that we could have the same kind of professional help that the commissioners have.
The commissioners have ignored the simple fact that we have been a union since last December, when we became AFSCME Local 1834.
We are asking for the same right that tens of thousands of public employees in this State already have.
In Western Maryland there are recognized AFSCME unions at Frostburg State College, Western Maryland State Hospital, Western Maryland State Roads, Cumberland Municipal Employees, Maryland Correctional Institute in Hagerstown, Hagerstown Municipal Employees and Allegany County Public Employees.
The Employees of Frederick, Harford, Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties have AFSCME unions too.
We want you to understand that no one will be forced to join our union when the commissioners have given us recognition. This is a matter of FREE choice.
We are not asking for more pay at this time. We want our professional negotiators to handle our problems in the future.
We respect the right of the County Commissioners to get whoever they want to speak for them. We want the same right to select our spokesmen as well.
We want to go back to work with union recognition. We want to repair the snow damage to your fences and roads. We know your problems and we want to do our jobs when you need us.
We could have called this strike two months ago when the snows were heavy. We could have tied up the whole county then by not plowing the roads, but we didn’t. We respected your needs. We kept the roads open so that all of our children could get to school and you could get to work.
We are striking when our strike does not have a harmful effect on the entire county. Please give us the same understanding and consideration that we have shown for you.
Support our strike for union recognition and dignity on the job that is the right of every American.
There are 134 of us out of a total of 144 employees of the County Roads Department, who are members of AFSCME, Local 1834. We are proud to sign our names to this letter.
Write or call the County Commissioners and let them know that you stand behind us in our fight for union recognition.
Oakland Garage
Baker, Clark
Bateman, Charles
Bateman, James
Blamble, Frank
Bowser, Frederick
Brant, Harold
Colow, Don R.
Collings, Darby
DeWitt, David
DeWitt, Harold C.
Ellifritz, Ellis
Evans, Rodger
Fike, Wayne
Finch, William
Freeland, Delwood
Friend, Albert
Friend, Harvey
Friend, LeRoy
Fries, Arlie
George, A. Fred
Guthrie, LeRoy
Holler, James L.
Humberson, Glenn
Keefer, Howard
King, Harry
Knotts, Theodore
Landis, Harold
Lewis, Henry
Lewis, Oliver
Lewis, Stanley (?) (need to recheck)
Lowdermilk, Charles
Lowdermilk, Harold J.
Nazelrod, Eugene
Nazelrod, Victor
Pratt, Dominic
Riggleman, Harold
Roth, Howard
Savage, Robert E.
Shaffer, C.D.
Shreve, Salem Jr.
Sowers, Jack
Spiker, Thomas
Stephens, James
Sweitzer, J.D.
Tichnell, Martin
Trickett, Henry
Welch, Clarence
Welch, Cecil
Whitacre, Joseph
White, George F.
Bowmer, Clarence
Fike, James
Filsinger, John
Holler, Lyden
Martin, Foster
Nally, Bernard
Peck, Jonas
Savage, Stanley
Steyer, Ronald
Tasker, Johnny
Wood, Stanley
Glover, Richard
Simms, Sheridan
Whitacre, Sheldon
Accident Garage
Artice, Ray
Fike, Claude
Frantz, Glenn
Frazee, Clement
Frazee, Floyd
Friend, Charles
Griffith, Harry
Hetrick, Earl
Kelso, Lester
King, Richard
Lewis, Lawrence
Metheny, Edward
Rinker, Calvin
Thomas, Paul
Uphold, Danny r.
Vitez, George
Fazenbaker, Jonas L.
Sang Run Quarry
Carr, Charles Jr.
Carr, Charlie Reed
Carr, Thomas
Cosner Paul W. Jr.
Cuppett, Claude
Friend, David C.
Friend, David Lee
Friend, Ernest
Friend, Everett
Friend, James
Savage, Elwood
Savage, Marlin
Ringer, Charles
Haenftling, Leonard
McCrobie, Joseph
Wakefield, Troy
Glotfelty, Richard
DeWitt, Emory
DeWitt, George
Grantsville Garage
Atwood, Hollie
Bittinger, John
Bittinger, Lester O.
Broadwater, Alonzo
Broadwater, Dayton
Butler, Berman
Chaney, Lawrence
Colmer, Paul E.
Fadeley, James
Fike, Harold
Friend, John M.
Garlitz, Charles
Garlitz, Earl
Guard, John J.
Guthrie, Harvey
Lininger, James
Miller, Leo
McKenzie, Ralph
McKenzie, Regis
Turner, Charles
Vitez, James
Wilburn, Claude W.
Wilhelm, Asa
Wilhelm, Ray
Wilhelm, Thomas
Wilt, Robert
Yommer, Richard
Garlitz, Roy
Glotfelty, Homer
Weimer, Ronald
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