The candidates for Governor in Maryland want to talk to YOU - the members of the unions of AFT-Maryland. This is your chance to interact with the major candidates for governor and to learn their positions on issues that matter to you and your work.
The Baltimore Teachers Union reached out to members by handing out solidarity boxes. These boxes included a card with a message from President Diamonté Brown, as well as a BTU t-shirt, member benefits guide, and a calendar. Also available to take home were masks, sanitizer, buttons, and the most recent copy of the BTU Educator.
State workers moving back into consistent in-person work in state buildings means our unions resume meeting them where they are to share the benefits of belonging to a union. The Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) had a table in the State Office Building at 301 Preston Street last week where AFT-Maryland and MPEC staff greeted employees and assessed if they were in the MPEC bargaining unit and if they were members. The members cited the reopening as a major concern.
AFT-Maryland’s holiday spirit was on full display at the 2nd annual Trunk-or-Treat event in the parking lot of Baltimore's Arena Players, the oldest continuously performing and historically African-American community theatre in the United States. Just as last year, community groups and activists had voter registration information and of course candy and snacks for the trick-or-treaters in attendance. The community in the historic Madison neighborhood showed their appreciation for the effort.
AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell joined the NAACP Maryland State Conference for their 81st Annual Convention to discuss the future of labor for Black workers. President Campbell spoke on the panel representing the nearly 20,000 public employees across the state of Maryland that AFT-Maryland local affiliates represent in collective bargaining. The panel included leaders from a number of private and public labor organizations all discussing ways to ensure Black workers are included in the U.S. and Maryland’s rebuilding plan.
State workers can think of 2.5 billion reasons to take to the streets and demand Governor Hogan recognize them as the heroes they are. That 2.5 billion figure represents the surplus to the Maryland state budget. The pandemic threatened the economic coffers of the state, but thanks to federal investment and collective sacrifice, Maryland was able to stave off the worst damages and now finds itself in position to move forward with a sunnier economic forecast.