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The AFT PSRP leadership conference last month came chock-full of advice from activists on how to optimize campaigns, whether they focus on organizing, politics, a living wage or community service. PSRP co-chairs Carl Williams and Sarah Wofford led the proceedings. Williams is president of the Lawndale (Calif.) Federation of Classified Employees, a former school custodian and president of California’s classified members. Wofford is an accounting specialist for Rogue Community College and president of the Oregon School Employees Association. Eighteen AFT locals sent paraprofessionals and school-related personnel to Chicago April 10-12 for the conference.

As the Trump administration continues to attack higher education—cutting research grants, targeting free speech and restricting classroom materials—the AFT and the American Association of University Professors have unveiled a powerful new blueprint to restore and preserve higher education, just in time for the 2026 midterms.

Workers' Memorial Day is not just a moment of reflection; it is a call to action. We pause to honor those we have lost, to grieve alongside the families they left behind, and to remind every elected leader and employer that the safety of working people is not optional and failure to protect them is not acceptable.

This past year...

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Spring is the season of growth, and it's worth taking a moment to see how far we've come.

It proved to be a challenging season, but our union has grown stronger. This legislative session, and always, members organized in force at hearings, at rallies, and in testimony demanding change. The results are clear to see.

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Today the bill granting collective bargaining rights to Maryland's non-tenure track faculty passed out of the Senate! Unfortunately while certain groups of non-tenure track faculty are omitted, today's vote brings us closer than ever to granting all faculty the rights already enjoyed by their colleagues in Maryland's community colleges, and four year institutions in 25 other states across the country. Your support made this possible, and together we will continue to organize in the Maryland House to bring bargaining rights to NTT faculty.

Join with AFT Maryland members 
for a No Kings Rally in Columbia, MD
Saturday, March 28th
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy.

When our families are under attack and costs are pushing people to the brink, silence is not an option. Marylanders will defend our communities against this administration’s unjust and cruel acts that harm working people.

On March 28th, rise up, take to the streets, and say it loud: No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings!
Not here. Not anywhere. We’re not watching history happen, we’re making it.

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On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, we’re launching a statewide show of solidarity, online and in our communities, for the Day of Action to Protect Our Kids, Our Families and Our Communities.

Life is getting harder—not easier. Instead of helping kids and families get ahead, this administration is making life harder with:

• Cuts to schools and child care
• Attacks on student borrowers
• Muzzling academic freedom
• Cuts to healthcare and public services
• Immigration raids that make communities less safe

READ ON for some simple things you can do to take action on March 4th.

After 20 months of negotiations, faculty approved a union contract that includes a groundbreaking service pathway to promotion, wage increases, and critical protections for academic freedom and shared governance.

AFT Maryland President, Kenya Campbell said, "It's long overdue for Chesapeake faculty to receive this contract. They've given years of service to their students and institution, and now they finally have the fair wages, benefits, and protections that reflect their dedication. This win delivers for them and the entire Chesapeake community."

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When the president of Colorado WINS learned that the president of the United States might be targeting Denver next in his anti-immigration campaign of terror, she knew how she’d begin to mobilize. One simple thing Diane Byrne does is deck out her activists in matching T-shirts. Wearing union colors promotes team spirit and builds confidence, she says. The AFT Public Employees program and policy council, meeting in New York City Feb. 5-6, abounded with tips to help locals mobilize. PPC chair Gary Feist, president of North Dakota Public Employees, recommended finding members who can tell a personal story to draw media attention. With more media on the issue, he said, legislators will become more motivated to fix the problem.