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MPEC Bargaining Kickoff Event 2023

Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) Local 6197, kicked off a contract campaign for state workers in Unit G. The union is in negotiations with the state for a new contract and is seeking to educate members on the existing contract, as well as rally support for demands to be included in the new contract. To accomplish this, the union will visit worksites from late October through mid-November.

Read on for more about the campaign, and photos from the Kick-off Event!

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AFT-Maryland Back to School Tour 2023

AFT-Maryland continued our practice of school tours during the first week of the new school year. The purpose of the tour is to welcome students and staff back to school, and to remind education professionals that their union is here to support them during the school year.

Read on to take a look at a recap of our visits, including photos & a video.

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AFT-Maryland members at Biden-Harris Rally

The summer of 2023 is just getting started, so that means the 2024 Presidential election season is already underway. President Joe Biden kicked off his re-election efforts with a labor rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday June 17, 2023. The AFL-CIO sponsored the event which brought together activists from a wide range of industries united under the banner of labor to support President Biden’s quest for four more years. The President has overwhelming support from labor due in large part to his long record of support from and for labor unions. In 2020 he declared he would be the most pro-union president in United States history.  

Although the event was in neighboring Pennsylvania, AFT-Maryland activists made the trip and were excited to support President Biden’s re-election efforts. 

CLICK THROUGH TO READ MORE > > >

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Rain may have canceled Wolfe Street Academy’s Wolfe Fest, but it was not going to stop AFT-Maryland from distributing books to students as a part of the Reading Opens the World program. The state federation joined the south Baltimore school for their Family Social Studies Night. The event brought families into the school to inform parents about the curriculum students are learning. The night also served as a great way to connect the Wolfe Street school community with the larger south Baltimore community. Students presented displays of their work as well as made videos that families and loved ones watched demonstrating what they’ve learned in Social Studies this school year. AFT-Maryland was on hand with a beautiful display of books for families to take home.  CLICK TO READ > > > MORE
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The 2023 Maryland legislative session held much promise following the tireless get out the vote efforts of AFT-Maryland and our AFL-CIO affiliates. Our dogged canvassing and all-hands-on-deck effort during the 2022 election bore fruit during the legislative session. Following the inauguration of the first African-American Governor in Maryland’s history and newly elected state Delegates and Senators taking their seats, AFT-Maryland got down to business. Despite the amount of turnover heading into the session, one thing remained true: AFT-Maryland would fight for our 18,000 members. And fight we did, racking up impressive wins and commanding the attention of political leaders across the state.  The following bills passed both houses and have been signed or are currently awaiting Gov. Moore’s signature: CLICK TO READ > > >

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What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.