News

Unionization is on the rise at higher education campuses across Maryland. Following successful organizing drives at Howard and Frederick Community Colleges, AFT Maryland is working to successfully unionize full time faculty and information technology staff at Prince George’s Community College. A highlight of the organizing efforts was Union Authorization Card Day. This daylong event on Thursday January 18, 2024 (scheduled for two days, but inclement weather canceled the second day’s activities) featured workers at the college signing union authorization cards indicating their desire to form a union and collectively bargain. 

Read on for more!

Baltimore City Public School System is taking action to address the climate crisis. The system is among the first in the state unveiling their new fleet of electric school buses in a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony on January 30, 2024. The event featured BCPSS CEO Dr. Sonia Santelises and federal officials from the EPA and Vice-President Harris’s office discussing the impact this fleet will have on students, families, and communities. AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell and City Union of Baltimore (CUB) local 800 President Antoinette Ryan-Johnson were also on hand as the new fleet of buses will involve federation members from the Baltimore Teachers Union local 340, and from CUB. 

Read on for more about the event!

Happy Lunar New Year! The Lunar New Year gives us an opportunity to highlight the rich cultural heritage of many of our members. Historically, these foundations are celebrated largely in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and other Asian cultures. There are many overlapping ideals and values of the Lunar New Year celebration that are bedrocks of the labor movement. It is for that reason we pause to reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate the Year of the Dragon, the 2024 Lunar New Year.

Read on for more!

“An injury to one, is an injury to all.” This famous labor quote set the tone for a press conference in Annapolis where the Maryland/DC AFL-CIO called on the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation that would enable public employees throughout the state to have collective bargaining rights. Of the three bills that were highlighted during the event, AFT-Maryland has members that will be affected by two. 

Read on for more:

It is once again Black History Month and as a union of professionals in service to the public, this should be a celebration for all Marylanders. Many of us appreciate the historic contributions made to our state and country by Black people as those contributions have only served to enhance our nation and make the United States more just. As Americans, our country’s history is not something that should be ignored or diminished. We must tell honest truths, difficult as they may be, if we are indeed to create a more perfect union. 

Thankfully the labor movement has been and continues to be a place where Black people have been celebrated in community with others. CLICK TO READ MORE...

The Martin Luther King Jr.  holiday should be among the most sacred days for labor. It was Dr. King who moved us with the fierce urgency of now to remember that each of us are “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This is the ethos of the labor movement. It is a testament to our commitment to solidarity and why we should venerate him today and every day.

Read on for more.

Happy New Year, Members!

I am excited by all that 2024 will offer us as a state federation. We are in a great position to build on the impact we have made across the state in 2023.

Read on to see why we think so! 

The undeniable chill in the air and the early hour that darkness falls over us leaves no question that the Winter Holiday season is upon us. The many religious and cultural holidays celebrated around this time of year symbolize our collective commitment to gather and share our love among those we hold most dear. We call upon the sacred values learned from those traditions, to show one another the best versions of ourselves. We do this through fellowship, kindness, food, gift giving, and charity. 

Click through to read more.

AFT-Maryland joined with labor activists from across the Metro Baltimore AFL-CIO for the council's annual food and toy holiday drive.

For AFT-Maryland, community activism is labor activism.

Shop stewards are the backbone of any labor union and necessary for the union to wield the power in the workplace that members deserve. Knowing that, AFT-Maryland convened a statewide training for   public employee stewards to equip them with the skills and resources they need to help their colleagues as best as possible. Members from across the state, working in diverse industries from higher education professionals to correctional staff, came to Baltimore for the day-long training.

Click for video, photos, and more!