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

Teacher Appreciation Week 2022 was a great opportunity to welcome community partners back in schools to engage educators and thank them for the work they do. AFT-Maryland took that opportunity to visit with education professionals at the National Academy Foundation (NAF) in East Baltimore. The state federation was represented by President Kenya Campbell, Secretary-Treasurer LaBrina Hopkins, and Community Engagement Director Jeffery Johnson. ​The school hosted... CLICK TO READ MORE

We have resources for our members and community members to make their plans to vote in the upcoming 2022 Gubernatorial Election. 

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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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The 2022 legislative session posed challenges for legislators and advocates alike. During the session, responses to Covid-19 and its variants meant everyone had to adapt quickly. Thankfully, the state federation was prepared to do so and maintained our strong presence in Annapolis. On the whole, AFT-Maryland, our affiliate locals, and the Maryland labor movement had a solid session. State federation efforts were led by Denise Riley who served as the point person in Annapolis for AFT-Maryland. Members from across the federation volunteered their time and effort to draft written testimony, provide oral testimony in person and remotely, as well as participate in virtual and in-person press conferences, all in lobbying efforts to pass our bills.  Click to Read

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