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Happy Independence Day! The best part of this holiday is the date we celebrate. This is because every great action is preceded by a declaration. In order for our country to be able to stand as an independent nation, the revolutionary war had to be fought; but before that came our declaration of independence. In each of our lives, before we undertake meaningful action, we first must declare our intention, then follow that declaration with action.  We would be wise to learn from ... CLICK FOR MORE

Labor solidarity and support for workers extends beyond the shores of the United States. International solidarity is a hallmark of AFT’s commitment to workers’ rights across the globe. AFT-Maryland and MCEA Local 1935 demonstrated that commitment by hosting a reception for labor activists touring the United States to promote workers’ rights, economic justice, and fair democracy in the Philippines.    The event began with opening remarks from AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell who stressed the importance of worker solidarity. She laid out the state federation’s commitment to ... CLICK TO READ MORE

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the longstanding precedent in Roe v. Wade is disappointing on a number of levels. It pains me to think that between the celebration of Juneteenth and Independence Day, two holidays that celebrate American freedom, the freedom of women to have bodily autonomy is stripped from them by an unelected branch of government. The question of abortion is a difficult decision that is not undertaken lightly by those facing that choice. However, that question is a private one that The Court has held for nearly four decades as being the solemn province of a woman and those whom she consults regarding her welfare.  As labor activists, we’d be remiss to not see this decision in the same light as the Janus v. AFSCME decision in 2018.... CLICK FOR MORE

The Juneteenth holiday is one that should be celebrated by all Americans as evidence of the great potential of our nation. It would be dishonest and historically inaccurate to turn a blind eye to our nation’s greatest sin, slavery, but in shining a light on that dark point in history, we can find the redeeming values that each of us can aspire to in order to help make our country a more perfect union.  The holiday honors General Gordon Granger riding through Texas with federal troops, reading aloud General Order #3, which included the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln’s famous proclamation changed the relationship between master and slave to “employer and hired labor”. The holiday is important to us as union members because it magnifies the role of labor in our nation’s history... CLICK TO READ MORE

The warm weather of the summer season provides a great opportunity for AFT-Maryland to get involved in the community. President Kenya Campbell and the state federation team set up a table for voter registration, joining a large number of vendors and merchants for the Black Wall Street of Baltimore Business Walk. The event was sponsored by the non-profit Notre Maison Connects, an organization founded and led by Jacqueline Cummings, a member of the Baltimore Teachers Union. This year’s voter registration efforts go beyond the traditional voter engagement efforts in the past, due to the upcoming statewide elections, redistricting, and the unique election taking place in Baltimore for the school board race. For the first time, citizens will have an opportunity to elect two members of the community to the school board. CLICK TO READ MORE

June begins the month-long PRIDE celebration. This is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing diversity of people within our state federation and our larger community. This is a celebration of the various sexual identities and orientations that exist within the human family. For the LGBTQIA+ community, it is a time to fully live in one’s own skin and share in communal fellowship with others.  The celebration we know of today was not overnight. Activists committed to justice have long engaged in the struggle to... CLICK TO READ MORE

May 6, 2022 was National Nurses Day kicking off a week of celebration and appreciation for the backbone of the healthcare field. For AFT-Maryland, it was an opportunity to show the nurses who are members of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses, Local 5102 how grateful we are for their dedicated service to public health in Baltimore County. Our members were on the front lines of the public health efforts during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the rollout of vaccines and boosters, our nurses have continued to serve Baltimore county residents with care and compassion, all while ensuring their work to keep the public healthy.  CLICK TO READ MORE

Memorial Day is a welcome sight on our calendars. It signals the start of summer, the near completion of the school year, and the peak of the promised May flowers that come after the April showers. Above all, however, Memorial Day is a moment to reflect on the heroic sacrifices made by those who paid the ultimate price in military service for our country. The Armed Forces is public employment and has been a stepping stone into the middle class for generations of Americans. Enlisting and serving in the armed forces has positively changed the fortunes of countless American families dating back to the Civil War.  CLICK TO READ MORE

An injury to one, is an injury to all. That’s a deeply held belief in the labor movement, and AFT-Maryland showed up for our labor family from Unite Here Local 7. Members of the union who work concessions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, held a rally demanding an increase in pay to keep up with the rising cost of inflation.  AFT-Maryland stood in solidarity with the workers who are currently being paid minimum wage. Unite Here Local 7 is demanding $15 an hour and are currently bargaining with the company Delaware North who is the stadium’s concessionaire.  CLICK TO READ MORE

We are devastated and heartbroken to issue yet another statement following another mass shooting taking the lives of students and teachers in a school. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrific tragedy. But we are also weary of the helpless feeling that comes with not being able to cease these incidents. When we call on common sense gun legislation, it is not to politicize tragedy, it is an effort to save our children, our teachers, elders at grocery stores, parishioners at their place of worship, and frankly any of us, anywhere we may be.  The solution will not only be... CLICK TO READ MORE