EAMP HISTORY AND FLYER
A Brief History of the Implementation of EAMP
by S. Fogle
EAMP has been in existence since 2005, prior to which it had never been negotiated by ESPBC. Around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Glen Galante began the push for language to be added to our MOU for the implementation of EAMP, with all 5 unions engaged in the process. BCPS ended these meetings saying they would take everything under advisement.
School reopened in January 2021, amidst a great deal of anxiety related to understaffing issues caused by the pandemic. EAMP takes center stage around this time as a huge issue. Administrators are unable to get people to come in to work, and take to strategies that make it extremely uncomfortable for BCPS employees to miss work. At this time, no one had language in their MOUs regarding documentation for the use of sick leave.
It would not be until July 2024 that we would finally include this language in our MOU. This language states that employees do not have to provide any documentation of absences until they reach nine cumulative days out, for 10-month employees, and 10 cumulative days out, for 12-month employees. EAMP trainings were pushed out in August 2024, but were inconsistent with our contract language. ESPBC sent out corrections to members, but supervisors did not retract the misinformation. From then on, EAMP was put on hold until October 2024–no need for notes to excuse absences.
In October 2024, BCPS sent out a message to all BCPS employees to explain that info sessions regarding EAMP would begin on October 7th. Supervisors began receiving lists from the office of employee absences. Letters were sent out during this time, inconsistent with and often in violation of our MOU language, across the entire school system.
ESPBC began asking for members’ stories in December 2024 at an all-member meeting. Our actions then went on hold when we filed a grievance with BCPS and received a date for arbitration: September 25th, 2025. The decision to file a grievance was reached after requesting a meeting with the superintendent’s designee in order to bring forth these matters and present the case that the language surrounding EAMP in our MOU had been violated, which they disagreed with. Now, with the date for arbitration fast-approaching, ESPBC seeks to engage all members in a concentrated effort to speak up against this unfair, unjust treatment and implore BCPS to settle so that arbitration is no longer necessary.
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