First contracts are often the most difficult to negotiate; however for bargaining team members they are also very exciting. United Academics of Maryland - Prince George’s rallied on Thursday April 18, 2024 ahead of their first bargaining session. Faculty gathered at the Center for Performing Arts building, dressed in red to support those who would go in to negotiate with the College. The excitement was palpable as faculty greeted each other who arrived with smiles and salutations. 

Click through for photos from the rally and more!
 

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.

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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 busiest travel holiday of the year is also the one centered most on family and friends. Yes, the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday are not as wholesome or simple as the narrative many of us learned in elementary school, but the beauty of customs and traditions is that a society can remake the tradition into whatever it sees fit. For so many of us, Thanksgiving is more than a story about early colonial settlers, but rather a moment to pause in gratitude and appreciation with those who we hold most dearly. 

As a state federation we have so much to be thankful for collectively...

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AFT-Maryland had the pleasure of being at Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s Back to School Event on Saturday August 19, 2023. The event gave us an opportunity to engage with members from unions across the federation including City Union of Baltimore (CUB Local 800) and the Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU Local 340) as well as help start libraries for Baltimore students by distributing hundreds of books. Great day for the union and the community!!

Click through for photos, video, and to read more about the event!

"...As labor activists, there are lessons from the creation of our nation that we can apply to our activism. Each of the original 13 colonies had their own interests, desires, and pursuits. Those pursuits were not always aligned with one another. There were, however, places of agreement that were greater than those disputes. ..."

Read more from AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell.