The race to the end of Maryland’s Legislative session is in full speed, but that hasn’t stopped AFT-Maryland from pushing for expanded collective bargaining for higher education workers at Maryland public institutions. The bill that would do that (HB275/SB274) is held up in the Senate Finance Committee, as is HB65, a bill granting collective bargaining to Maryland public library workers. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) collaborated with AFT-Maryland for a joint press conference urging the Senate Finance Committee to move those bills out of committee so public employees in libraries and state higher education institutions can have the right to choose collective bargaining.  CLICK THROUGH TO READ > > > MORE

The Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) Local 6197 recently wrapped up a successful and productive member outreach campaign. The initiative was a collaborative effort between the AFT-Maryland and the local union. During the campaign, staff from the state federation and the local were joined by member-activists who volunteered their time to connect with colleagues and potential members to inform them about the ongoing contract negotiations, to communicate the union’s priorities, and to encourage those who were not members to join the union.  

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Faculty at Frederick Community College have formed a new union through United Academics of Maryland and AFT-Maryland, and are preparing to negotiate their first contract. Union members and supporters gathered to cheer on the bargaining team as they head into negotiations with the administration. The union is supported by a diverse group of faculty members who are united in their goal of improving working conditions for all.

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Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! This diverse celebration brings in a large cross-section of people to celebrate the unique cultures that we call Hispanic Heritage. Over the next thirty days, we acknowledge and celebrate Americans who have lineage across South America, Mexico, Central America, and even Spain. 

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Labor unions are a team, just like the Baltimore Orioles, and on a humid Friday night in July Baltimore’s team of working people, the Metro Baltimore AFL-CIO, went to Camden Yards to cheer on Baltimore’s baseball team.

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Juneteenth is a holiday that every working person should hold a deep reverence and appreciation for. Colloquially, we think of the holiday in terms of freeing enslaved African-Americans. While that is undoubtedly true, this holiday changed the nature of labor in this country forever. It is a celebration of the events that forbade exploited labor in the United States. Slavery was a commitment to exploiting people for the purpose of their labor, that exploitation was determined by the color of their skin. As working people, we know that the unfair and abusive treatment of workers does not just hurt those people being mistreated but others who want to earn an honest living at a fair wage using their talent and treasure.  CLICK TO READ > > >

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