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Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association (MSDFSA) VP Jackie Guers made sure the word was spread throughout her campus that Wednesday, February 26, 2020 was Union Day. Faculty and staff at the Columbia campus turned out in great numbers to meet AFT-Maryland staff. Frank Pratka, an organizer who has been working with the local for a number of years, spoke with and engaged a number of members he has worked with before, and Aaron Ray worked intently to get contact information and sign up new members during the event.

Once most of the staff finished their responsibilities for the

The 2019 novel coronavirus and its outbreak has people all over the world on high alert. Fortunately AFT-Maryland is the union for some of the best health care practitioners in the state. We reached out to Crystal Wright, a public health nurse and member of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses, Local 5102 to find out what Marylanders in the Baltimore- metro area specifically need to know about the virus and to stay safe.

Q: Are there any cases of reported 2019 novel coronavirus in Maryland? 
According to the CDC, two suspected cases of coronavirus in Maryland were negative. 

Elected leaders are often the ones who referee public employees and their issues with management, so with the Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session underway for 2020, AFT-Maryland puts labor leaders and activists in front of decision makers who have a say in issues affecting state employees, municipal employees, and education employees. To further that goal, the state federation hosted our annual 2020 Legislative Reception. The event was well attended by members and legislators.

Over light fare, AFT-Maryland members and leaders discussed the vital issues facing legislators that affect

Members from the affiliated locals of AFT-Maryland made their way to Annapolis to lobby elected officials on public employee issues that are coming up in the 2020 Maryland legislative session. Lobby night is an annual event that allows the state federation to put members before legislators to make their voices heard. For state employees this is an opportunity to talk with those who make legislation that directly impacts their work life.

The night is a combination of planned meetings and drop-ins. Members are divided into groups and some groups speak to state Senators while others talk with

Education advocates are gearing up for an intense battle during the legislative session over the state fully funding the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations. That fight kicked off in earnest for the legislative session in Baltimore. The Baltimore Teachers Union and AFT-Maryland were on hand to fight for Maryland’s public school children. BTU member Nathan Ferrell spoke at the press conference. He commented “this can and will be a sea change for our state, for our city, and for all of the students in Maryland public schools." He was among a group of policy advocates, educators, and students who

Members from many of the locals of AFT-Maryland were in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the 2020 Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO 29th Annual Leadership Conference. The conference featured a number of important breakout sessions that members and leaders alike learned from. President Jermaine Jones addressed the body with his annual State of theUnion/Council Address. Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Gerald Jackson also delivered remarks.

The sessions included a Common Sense Economic session that explored the way daily economic challenges affect the lives of union members. There were

With each passing month, we get closer to the most important election of our lifetime, the 2020 Presidential Election. In January, things get more complicated for the state federation with the start of the Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session. Despite all that’s going on, AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator Todd Reynolds convened the monthly political committee meeting. The diverse membership of the state federation was well represented with attendance from BTU, MPEC, AFT Healthcare-Maryland, and CUB.

The major focus of the meeting was the upcoming Congressional Special Election for the

Things are off and rolling in Annapolis for the 2020 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session. In an effort to get the state federation on one accord, AFT-Maryland’s Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Denise Riley, chaired the year’s first legislative committee meeting. Committee members in attendance came from the state federation’s two state employee locals MPEC and AFT Healthcare-Maryland.

Riley laid out the bills that will be on the state federation’s radar this session, including revenue expansion bills that will close tax loopholes for millionaires and billionaires, as well

2020 promises to be an important year for AFT-Maryland locals, politically. The most noteworthy election will be for President of the United States, however there are a number of other elections that will be on the radar for Maryland public sector unions. In anticipation of the upcoming elections, AFT-Maryland’s political committee gathered for their December monthly meeting. The meeting was attended by members from the Baltimore Teachers Union and the City Union of Baltimore.

AFT-Maryland’s Political Coordinator Todd Reynolds gave an overview of Baltimore City Council races and explained the

Members from the unions that make up AFT-Maryland joined with sisters and brothers of the AFL-CIO to pack boxes for union and community families in need this holiday season. The Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO annually packs boxes of food and provides toys for families of union members and to the greater Baltimore community. AFT-Maryland members worked side by side with members from across the region and in partnership with the United Way of Baltimore to help ensure that families would not go without this holiday season.

Over two days, members packed groceries in boxes and wrapped toys for