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Labor Stands Strong in Annapolis

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The pandemic caused a shift in the way quite a bit of legislative business was handled. Some of those changes have outlived the social distancing guidance that dictated how we did business. That includes virtual testimony, zoom meetings, and live streaming of in-person events. One event that returned with a force as strong as it was pre-pandemic was the Metro Baltimore Council AFL-CIO labor rally, held on Lawyers Mall in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis.  The annual event is a show of solidarity among labor as unions collectively flex their strength and call on state legislators to pass bills that support working people and their families. As AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell reminded the audience “labor power definitely works.” Click for more photos and to read > > >

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AFT-Maryland and IAM Hold Collective Bargaining Press Conference

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The race to the end of Maryland’s Legislative session is in full speed, but that hasn’t stopped AFT-Maryland from pushing for expanded collective bargaining for higher education workers at Maryland public institutions. The bill that would do that (HB275/SB274) is held up in the Senate Finance Committee, as is HB65, a bill granting collective bargaining to Maryland public library workers. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) collaborated with AFT-Maryland for a joint press conference urging the Senate Finance Committee to move those bills out of committee so public employees in libraries and state higher education institutions can have the right to choose collective bargaining.  CLICK THROUGH TO READ > > > MORE

Stewardship Training: Helping Stewards Make a Difference

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Stewards are the lifeblood of any union. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that unions offer training to continue to develop and strengthen their stewards. The Maryland Professional Employees Council Local 6197 (MPEC) hosted their stewards for training on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The training covered a wide range of topics, informing those in attendance of the responsibilities of stewards.

Read more about the event on MPEC's website.

What unions do

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In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

AFT Visits Wolfe Street Academy

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Community schools provide wrap-around services that help close the gap between students' needs and their ability to focus on school and learning. Baltimore is fortunate to have a number of community schools that serve students and families as well as the communities the schools are in. One of those schools is Wolfe Street Academy, a school that went from a low-ranking status several years ago to top-ranking, going remarkably from the 77th rank elementary school to the 2nd in the span of a decade. The school was the site of a visit from AFT President Randi Weingarten. She was joined on the visit by AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell and Baltimore Teachers Union President Diamonté Brown. CLICK TO READ > > > MORE

Statement on the Michigan State shooting

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AFT-Maryland stands in solidarity with Michigan State students, faculty and staff, and the entire East Lansing community. Once again our nation is left with the scars of a mass shooting killing three and injuring others at Michigan State University. Sadly, some Michigan State students who survived this tragedy are also survivors of other school shootings. It pains us to have to say other school shootings because some students survived the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, while others are survivors of the tragic school shooting at Oxford High School just outside of Detroit less than two years ago.   CLICK TO READ > > > MORE