News

Join AFT-Maryland and our members from the BTU, CUB, MCEA, MPEC, MSDFSA, AFT Healthcare-Maryland, BCFPE, and BCFPHN as we travel to Annapolis to talk with our representatives about our issues in the 2020 Legislative Session.

Buses will depart from AFT-Maryland, 5800 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215 at 5:15 p.m. Sandwiches and soft drinks to be provided.

RSVP by Jan. 23rd to RESERVE YOUR SEAT or sign up for training by contacting AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator Todd Reynolds at treynolds@aftmd.org.

Click here to download event flyer.

The locals that serve members in Baltimore county were out and about engaging public employees. Union Day was a success as the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees and the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses met members and prospective members at their worksite to have conversation around the benefits of joining the union and recent updates to union contracts. Organizers Frank Pratka and Janell Edmonds manned tables in a 3rd floor break room on Friday November 22nd at the Drumcastle County Government Office. 

Pratka said the union day was an opportunity to get out and

As the 2020 Maryland Legislative Session approaches, the unions of AFT-Maryland are working to ensure their agendas are front and center on the minds of legislators. The Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association (MSD) is one of the unions who have been active lately to ensure their members concerns are addressed by the General Assembly. The union is working on ensuring that its members are included on the career teacher career ladder that will be a part of the Blueprint for Maryland Schools (Kirwan Commission) legislation. MSD VP Jackie Gruers and a delegation of AFT-Maryland

​​More than 45 million US workers owe $1.6 trillion dollars in student loans, with ~93% of it owed to the US Department of Education. Workers are going into more debt to finance their education, and more workers are defaulting on those loans because wages aren’t rising to keep up with the costs. The system is broken!

There’s good news. AFT, our National union, has developed Student Debt Clinics that will:

• Educate you on the national student debt crisis.
• Show you how to lower your payments, sometimes to $0, through enrolling in income-driven repayment programs.
• Teach you how to meet the

State retirees have been searching for clarity on the question of prescription drugs benefit plan changes since the changes were scheduled to go into effect in 2018. Following delays and in the midst of a court case the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM) testified at a hearing to explain the implementation of the new plan following legislation from the 2019 Maryland Legislative Session. Unfortunately for members and retirees, the hearing brought about just as many, or perhaps more questions than answers.

The hearing on Tuesday, October 29, in the joint committee hearing room in

AFT-MARYLAND PRAISES SEN. THOMAS V. MIKE MILLER ON HIS TENURE AS SENATE PRESIDENT AND WELCOMES SEN. BILL FERGUSON TO LEADERSHIP

Thomas V. “Mike” Miller has led the upper chamber of the General Assembly for many years and his invaluable leadership has allowed the state to prioritize public employees and their families. His leadership on key educational and labor issues will be remembered by generations to come. AFT-Maryland wishes Sen. Miller a full and speedy recovery. His tireless efforts to preside over such an important body as he battled his illness showed the commitment to the people of

Unions and social justice have gone hand-in-hand for decades. Any organization that’s committed to democracy and fairness in the workplace would logically work to ensure that the rights of all people are upheld. AFT is no different, and the Civil, Human, and Women’s Rights Committee is the arm of the union that works on these issues specifically. It’s with this that a contingency from AFT-Maryland made their way to Montgomery, Alabama for the 2019 AFT Civil, Human, and Women’s Rights Conference.

Led by AFT-Maryland President Marietta English, members from the Baltimore Teachers Union Local 340

AFT-Maryland’s presence in the community knows no limits or bounds. It makes sense then, that when SEIU 32BJ and Maryland Secure Wages Coalition held a Worker Appreciation Cookout in Baltimore, the state federation was there in solidarity and unity with our labor sisters and brothers. Carroll Park was full of vibrant energy, enthusiastic workers and engaged union staff and members as workers were appreciated. This event is keeping with an ongoing effort to organize workers at transportation hubs throughout the state including Penn Station, the port, and BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Beyond

The Baltimore Teachers Union  Retiree Chapter (BTU 340R) recently had newly elected executive board members sworn in to office. These officers represent the retirees’ interests in a number of different capacities. Our retirees are among the state federation’s most loyal and consistent volunteers for community outreach efforts, phone banking in support of union-endorsed candidates, and lobbying in Annapolis and in Baltimore city.

Velma Hicks was re-elected to president, while Thomas Frazier will serve as vice president. The secretary is Geneva Harris, while Blanch Morgan III is the treasurer. Oz