At its December 8 regular meeting, the Greenbelt City Council covered three major items: a city charter amendment allowing Public Works staff to unionize, review and approval of a major traffic calming study and a future worksession to address residents’ concerns with cellphone service in parts of Greenbelt. This story covers unionization, with cell service and traffic calming reported in a different story, also on the front page of our December 18 issue.
Nine additional actions are recorded at the end of this report.
Charter Amendment
To allow Public Works employees to establish a union, an amendment to the city charter is required. Council was unanimous that this first step toward ratification of a charter amendment establishing collective bargaining rights and permitting the associated unionization should be taken, but had to decide between two options: 1) collective bargaining rights for only “eligible Public Works employees” or 2) those rights for a broader class, i.e. “certain eligible non-classified, non-managerial and non-professional city employees.”
Support for Unionization
During the meeting, the general sentiment from several residents and union organizers who spoke was in favor of granting collective bargaining rights for all city employees, but some stated that if that is not possible now, then at least for Public Works employees. Additional input from residents urged council to proceed without delay; one resident stated that over the past few months he has interviewed hundreds of voters and unionization is “wildly popular” in Greenbelt.
Introducing the agenda issue, Councilmember Jenni Pompi said, “My preference would be for the all-employees charter amendment. I think it’s easier for us now to open up bargaining to anyone who’s interested. That way we don’t have to come back and continually amend the charter anytime any members of our city staff would like to organize.”
Greenbelt Far Behind
Also supporting the all-employees amendment, Councilmember Frankie Fritz invoked Article 23 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “Everyone … has the right to form and join trade unions.” He argued that Greenbelt is “far behind” and has been very slow in granting this basic human right for its employees, other than the sworn officers of the Police Department.
Mayor Emmett Jordan and a few other councilmembers counselled moving more slowly on an all-employees charter amendment because of the need for more clarity in the language currently before them, including defining the types of eligible employees, addressing overlap among types of employees in city departments and so on. Councilmember Kristen Weaver suggested that council strike a “balance between being appropriately speedy (as in the case of the Public Works recent request for bargaining rights), but also not moving too quickly if there is some consideration that might warrant a worksession on the framework for the process of unionization for the rest of the city.”
Resolution Adoption
Eventually, Councilmember Silke Pope moved to adopt the resolution to introduce the first reading of the charter amendment and Weaver seconded the motion. Only Fritz voted against it because he felt council should be moving quickly toward an all-employees charter amendment, not just for Public Works.
Other Actions
Mayor Emmett Jordan issued a proclamation declaring December 10 as Human Rights Day in Greenbelt and expressed the city’s continued commitment to dignity, equity and the protection of human rights for all residents. Council took the following actions: 1) approved the Greenbelt Park and Recreation Advisory Board’s recommendation to initiate planning for a dog park at Northway Fields; 2) approved a letter to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) promoting collaboration between PGCPS and Greenbelt on community engagement efforts; 3) authorized the city manager to contract with Charles P. Johnson & Associates, Inc. to provide survey services for the city; 4) re-appointed James Drake to serve another term on Greenbelt’s Advisory Planning Board; 5) introduced and gave a first reading of a proposed ordinance to amend Greenbelt’s Code to authorize regulation of plug-in parking within the city’s corporate limits; 6) gave a second reading of, and adopted, a resolution authorizing the city manager to implement Electric Vehicle (EV) charging fees and operating procedures for EV charging stations at the Municipal Building; 7) voted to pay Greenbelt’s annual dues to the Prince George’s County Municipal Association but also to send a letter to the association outlining the concerns of several councilmembers regarding how the association manages its funds; 8) decided councilmember appointments for serving in 2026 on the boards and committees of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and 9) authorized the city manager to execute two contracts, one with Innovative Pyrotechnic Concepts, LLC, for the 2026 Independence Day Fireworks Display and the other for the renewal of the natural gas supply for city facilities.
At the end of the televised meeting, council moved into a closed session.
Cathie Meetre assisted with this report.
