Legislative

Have you heard of Maryland's FAMLI act? The Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program is a new program created by the state legislature in 2022 and updated in the 2023 legislative session that grants eligible employees in Maryland the right to 12 weeks paid leave to care for a family member, or for that employee to take leave for their own serious medical condition. Maryland joins 10 other states—California, New York, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia—that offer some sort of paid, long-term family leave to workers to help care for a worker’s family member. 

Read on to learn more about Maryland's FAMLI Act and for answers to some frequently asked questions.

Members! Take the 2024 Political Priorities Survey The 2024 election season will soon be upon us, and as public employees and education workers, we must be sure that our issues are understood by candidates who are running for various offices at both the local and federal level that are up for election. Click for the link and > > >

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 > > >

The pandemic caused a shift in the way quite a bit of legislative business was handled. Some of those changes have outlived the social distancing guidance that dictated how we did business. That includes virtual testimony, zoom meetings, and live streaming of in-person events. One event that returned with a force as strong as it was pre-pandemic was the Metro Baltimore Council AFL-CIO labor rally, held on Lawyers Mall in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis.  The annual event is a show of solidarity among labor as unions collectively flex their strength and call on state legislators to pass bills that support working people and their families. As AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell reminded the audience “labor power definitely works.” Click for more photos and to read > > >

Join with the Labor Community for a rally on Lawyer's Mall starting at 6:00 p.m. AFT-Maryland will sponsor buses for members from multiple locations. CLICK TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT AND > > >

For the first time since January 2020, AFT-Maryland resumed our annual in-person Lobby Night in Annapolis. The event is an opportunity for members to speak directly to legislators who make decisions about their work environments. The state federation displayed its diversity in the wide range of public employees addressing legislators. Public employees from a number of sectors including K-12 education, healthcare, state and municipal civil service, and higher education all met with elected officials to advocate for policy that would improve their work experiences. Among the public employees that were in attendance were... CLICK TO READ >>>

AFT-Maryland has announced their 2023 Legislative Priorities for the 2023 Maryland Legislative Session. We work with public employees from a number of sectors including K-12 education, healthcare, state and municipal civil service, and higher education to meet with elected officials to advocate for policy that would improve their work experiences. Click through for more information about policies and bills of interest to our members in the 2023 Maryland Legislative Session. CLICK TO READ >>>

MEMBERS! Join us for LOBBY NIGHT in ANNAPOLIS,  Monday, January 23rd, 2023 Join AFT-Maryland and our members from the BTU, CUB, MCEA, MPEC, MSDFSA, AFT Healthcare Maryland, MC-AAUP, United Academics Maryland, BCFPE, and BCFPHN as we travel to Annapolis to talk with our representatives about our issues in the 2023 Legislative Session. CLICK for RSVP INFO and >>>