When management sent MCEA member Yvonne Selby, a Bus Field Inspector with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), home without pay, MCEA refused to let the matter end there.
The dispute began on February 11, 2025, when Ms. Selby was directed by the Director of Bus Field Operations to report to his office with another manager to discuss the completion of a workplace form. Ms. Selby immediately objected because she had previously filed multiple complaints against one of the managers who would be present.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Ms. Selby exercised her right to request representation from her MCEA union representative before the meeting proceeded. That request was denied.
As tensions escalated, Ms. Selby contacted her MCEA representative by telephone and placed him on speaker so he could hear what was occurring. What followed was a heated confrontation. Voices were raised, participants spoke over one another, and the discussion quickly deteriorated.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Director ordered Ms. Selby to leave the worksite and instructed her not to return until February 18.
Ironically, February 18 was the very day Ms. Selby was already scheduled to attend a conference with management—accompanied by her MCEA representative—regarding an entirely separate issue.
When Ms. Selby arrived for that meeting, she received another surprise. Management informed her that, despite being directed to leave the workplace, she had been charged with Absent Without Leave (AWOL) for the remainder of her absence and would not be paid for those four workdays.
Rather than accept an unjust outcome, MCEA immediately filed a grievance, demanding that Ms. Selby receive the wages she had wrongfully lost.
After management denied the grievance through the lower steps of the process, MCEA advanced the case to the Office of Administrative Hearings, where a full hearing on the merits was held on February 5, 2026.
At the hearing, Ms. Selby's testimony proved to be credible, consistent, and compelling. Her account was further corroborated by the sworn affidavit of her MCEA union representative.
On March 13, 2026, the Administrative Law Judge issued a decisive ruling in Ms. Selby's favor, ordering the Maryland Transit Administration to compensate her for four days of lost pay.
The decision was more than a financial victory—it was a powerful reminder that employees should not have to face management alone.
Reflecting on the outcome, Ms. Selby expressed her heartfelt appreciation to MCEA for standing beside her throughout the process. She credited her union with ensuring that fairness prevailed and emphasized that, without MCEA's representation, the outcome could have been very different.
This victory is a testament to the power of solidarity. When members stand together and MCEA stands with them, justice is more than a principle—it becomes