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

AFT-Maryland, as part of the AFL-CIO, has announced its list of Endorsed Candidates for the 2022 Primary Election. After a long process by which candidates completed questionnaires, interviewed with AFT-Maryland members, and visited worksites where our members are employed, AFT-Maryland members made their voice known in the house of labor who they believe will be the best candidates to stand up for public education and provide state, county, and city residents with the best services they can. For the full list of endorsed candidates, CLICK HERE FOR

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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

AFT-Maryland had a tremendously successful 2022 legislative session. All our bills passed to the governor’s desk, one was signed into law, and one was vetoed by Gov. Hogan – but we were able to override it. AFT-MD and our affiliate unions supported several bills that also passed and worked within coalitions on legislation that is currently on the governor’s desk. AFT-MD, our affiliate unions’ leadership, their staff, and members testified in over 22 hearings. AFT-MD alone submitted over 65 pieces of written testimony, and this does not include all the written testimony from our affiliate unions and their members, which is difficult to keep track of and very much appreciated. And a very special thank you to the union members who used personal leave to testify on bills - you are our heroes! For more information, a Session Recap video, and details on specific bills, CLICK HERE TO READ

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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