Banner

AFT Convention, Day One

Day One of the AFT biannual National Convention got off to a rousing start. Delegates and visitors from all across the nation convened on Minneapolis, MN, for the 100th anniversary of the organization (#AFT100). Members kicked off the morning with a breakfast hosted by the Baltimore Teachers Union. AFT-Maryland President Marietta English addressed the breakfast and laid out what the members from Maryland could expect moving forward during the convention.

The convention proper kicked off in a rousing fashion with President Randi Weingarten’s state of the union address. Included in her remarks

MORE

Israel Cultural Exchange

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"37592","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-left","style":"width: 25%; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 3px; float: left;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]AFT-Maryland President Marietta English joined with other AFT national officers and representatives for a visit to Israel. There, they participated in a cultural exchange about best practices in educating young people. The trip had significant importance as the group also engaged with students and teachers at Jerusalem’s Hand-in-Hand School.  The school promotes integration and tolerance among the Arab and Jewish residents of Israel.

MORE

Win at Western Maryland Hospital Center

From AFT Healthcare-Maryland: In the wake of community outrage around the potential closure of Western Maryland Hospital Center (WMHC)  we are pleased that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) is no longer interested in pursuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) which is a first step to the privatization of the facility. When DHMH initially planned to put out the RFP to as they said "explore options" patients, their families, the community and state workers joined forces to let the Governor and his administration know how much Marylanders value quality public health facilities.

While

MORE

Member Spotlight: Jetta Williams

Jetta Williams has been an RN at Western Maryland Hospital Center (WMHC) for two years, and has been a member of AFT Healthcare-Maryland for the last four months. Jetta said that “other members kept on asking me to join and a lot of people were doing it, too. I didn’t see any reason not to join.” She wishes that her co-workers who are not full members of AFT Healthcare-Maryland would be more open-minded. She believes her union gives her the ability to collaboratively work for the betterment of all employees. Jetta is responsible for making sure her patients receive the correct medication. She

MORE

Community Schools Conference

A host of invested parties and stakeholders went west to participate in a national community schools conference. The conference highlighted the work community schools in Baltimore as well as others across the nation have been doing. AFT-Maryland and the Baltimore Teachers Union have been on the front lines of advancing the Community School Strategy across the State of Maryland. Of those in attendance were some of AFT-Maryland's partners on the Baltimore Education Roundtable, including Maryland Out-of-School Time (MOST), The Family League of Baltimore, and MD Communities United, among others.

Fo

MORE

Union Day in Baltimore County

Baltimore County Public Employees had an opportunity to meet and greet the leadership of the two local unions affiliated with AFT-Maryland, which represent them. Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) and the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses (BCFPHN) executive boards welcomed and engaged members at the Drumcastle Center in Towson, MD.

Members had an opportunity to express both appreciation and concerns to their unions. Some asked about tuition reimbursement opportunities in the contract as well as work conditions and requirements made of them by the county.

BC

MORE