The workplace death of Baltimore city Department of Public Works employee Ronald Silver II struck a solemn nerve for the City Union of Baltimore (CUB), recalling the tragic loss of CUB member Trina Cunningham in a workplace death five years ago. In the wake of Mr. Silver’s passing, AFT Maryland, CUB, AFSCME, and elected officials from the Baltimore City Council held a press conference addressing the issue and outlining what needs to be done to assure there are no city workplace deaths.

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Independence Day and the celebration of our country’s founding is a beautiful metaphor for the labor movement. In forming the country, various interests and people were forced to collaborate around a united idea to birth what has become the United States of America. Farmers from western Massachusetts had to align their interests with merchants from Pennsylvania who themselves had to join with southerners who made their money trading on people and land. Each had their own unique issue with the mother country, yet none alone could stand up to the world’s strongest empire at the time.

The labor movement, much like the original thirteen colonies, can only demonstrate its power in unity. 

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The state of Maryland has received a $2.5 million implementation grant from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This grant will help Maryland public schools extend services beyond what is provided under a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Services Program (IFSP). This initiative is a critical step toward enhanced healthcare accessibility for students enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP.

This grant, a product of the work of AFT Maryland in collaboration with Gov. Moore’s staff, is part of a broader federal effort under the Biden Administration. Click here to read more.

The union is not only a home for active workers; it is also a place for retirees. AFT Maryland has three active retiree chapters in the state federation and each was represented at a retiree meeting held at the state federation office. Retired members from the Maryland Classified Employees Association (MCEA-Council 152), Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU-R), and the City Union of Baltimore (CUB-R) gathered for food, fellowship, and important updates on how to actively support labor, electoral, and community efforts of AFT Maryland. The gathering was organized by AFT Maryland organizer Janell Edmonds with support from the state federation.

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Once finals are over and grades are turned in, you may think a professor’s work is finished for the summer. That’s not completely true for community college professors who are a part of the United Academics of Maryland (UAMD). For them, the work continues into the summer. On Saturday, June 15, 2024, professors representing community colleges across Maryland including Prince George’s, Howard, Hagerstown, Frederick, and Baltimore City attended a steward training for higher education professionals.

For photos and more on the steward training, read on!

The Juneteenth holiday should forever hold a special place in the hearts of labor activists. It is indeed a holiday to commemorate the end of American slavery, but we should never lose sight that American slavery had as much to do with labor rights as it did with race-based discrimination. Marking the end of the civil war with this holiday is a celebration of the end of state sanctioned race-based exploitation of vulnerable workers. The effects of the end of slavery reverberated throughout the entire United States, not merely because it marked a shift in the moral direction of the country, but because it recalibrated work relationships all across the nation, and particularly in southern states. 

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