The AFT-Maryland held their Triennial Constitutional Convention the weekend of April 20th. The convention celebrated the theme Standing on the Shoulders of Labor Giants: Fighting for Our Future. It featured remarks by labor leaders in and around Baltimore, including Donna Edwards, President of the Maryland State and D.C.
Hundreds of union members took to Lawyer’s Mall in front of the Maryland State Capitol to show the power and strength of labor. The Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO convened the sea of solidarity. The locals of AFT-Maryland were in attendance and their voices were heard and their presence felt. The federation was acknowledged and received shout outs from a number of elected officials.
Among the politicians who addressed the crowd were... Click to read
AFT-Maryland President Marietta English on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
On this solemn day, we remember a man who was not only a leader for racial but also economic equality; a man who in his last days walked with and campaigned for the dignity of public employees; a man of the cloth who committed himself to the labor movement.
As the president of a state federation that represents more than 20,000 public employees, the sacrifices of this great man are not lost on me or any of the members of our federation. Though we'll always be sad that Dr. King did not get to live a long life, see his children grow up, and play with his grandchildren, we will forever be indebted to him for being the vocal conscious of this nation, calling on it to live up to every promise of equality.
READ
In honor of Women's History Month, AFT-Maryland has been acknowledging women in the federation who are leaders in their local unions and in the labor movement.
This month, we've honored
LaKebra Clark is a paraprofessional educator at Pimlico Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, MD. She is also a committed and loyal member of the Baltimore Teachers Union.
Graceann Rehbein has been an employee of Baltimore County Government for nearly 28 years and has been an active member of Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees for 12 years. In addition to her active membership, she is a dedicated COPE contributor.