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

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

AFT-Maryland as well as the Baltimore Teachers Union, Local 340 are a part of the Baltimore Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) and were involved in efforts to create the people’s education platform. The platform identified 14 different educational priorities parents, students, education professionals, and community members alike could vote for as their top issues. Some of the priorities people could choose were practical job and life skills, significant reduction in standardized testing, as well as more resource classes, field trips, and cultural experiences, just to name a few.  Over the course of about two months, the Baltimore AROS set up... CLICK TO READ MORE