“Every day, you don’t know what you’re going to be dealing with and your plans are always being upended by circumstances in the park.” That’s how MPEC Local 6197 member Chris Czarra described his experience working as a park ranger in Maryland state parks. Czarra’s testimony to the Maryland State Parks Investment Commission dramatized what a day in the life of Maryland park rangers looks like. Czarra’s testimony continues the union’s efforts for fair wages, greater working conditions, and overall better treatment for Maryland park rangers. 

Earlier this summer, park rangers and MPEC members and

Despite the presence of the Delta and Delta+ variants of the COVID-19 virus, most reopening plans are underway. The return to normalcy hasn’t been completely smooth, especially for hospitality workers. Workers from Unite Here Local 7 at Merriweather Lakehouse, the hotel formerly known as Sheraton Columbia, held a rally demanding their jobs be reinstated when the hotel reopens. During the pandemic-related shutdown, the hotel came under new management. The new management is using the chaos caused by the sale and pandemic to deny workers the opportunity to come back to work on the terms they left