Open Letter to Gov Hogan in Response to COVID-19
On Monday, April 6, 2020, AFT-Maryland sent this open letter to Gov. Larry Hogan regarding local and state public employees in the state of Maryland.
AFT-Maryland is a federation of public employees that represents nearly 20,000 workers across the state of Maryland. Our members work in the fields of education, public safety, healthcare and more.
For follow-up or interviews with any local union leaders of AFT-Maryland please contact: Ray Baker, Director of Communication, AFT-Maryland, rbaker@aftmd.org.
For the first time since the Civil War, the Maryland Legislative Session ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, legislators were able to pass an emergency bill to provide funds to deal with the healthcare crisis before Sine Die.
AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator Todd Reynolds briefed the Political Committee on all of the upcoming political news and information at their March meeting. Much of the meeting was spent discussing the Metro-Baltimore AFL-CIO endorsement process and what candidates were endorsed or considered for endorsement by the AFL-CIO.
With a little over three weeks left in the legislative session, and the looming challenges of interpersonal interaction posed by the discovery of more COVID-19 cases, the AFT-Maryland March Legislative Committee meeting took on a heightened sense of importance. Several AFT-Maryland locals including BTU, BCFPE, CUB, and BCFPHN were represented.
The union’s legislative arm is strongest when members are the advocates lobbying for themselves. Legislators listen with a closer ear and a more compassionate heart when public employees share their experiences from their worksites.
Implementing the Kirwan Commission recommendations is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to make significant changes to the way Maryland students are educated. These changes will have particular effects on Baltimore City Public School students as well as students from Prince George’s county.