AFT-Maryland sent the attached letter to Governor Hogan, Baltimore City Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young, Baltimore County Executive John Olszeski Jr., and the Maryland General Assembly COVID-19 Workgroup, listing important needs for public worker safety as the state begins to reopen. Key points from the letter include:

• Gov. Hogan's COVID-19 Recovery Team must include voices from state and local public health workers, public school teachers and paraprofessionals, and non-healthcare related essential public employees. 
• The state, counties, and local municipalities must incorporate more aggressive benchmarks for testing and contact tracing.
• Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) must establish enforceable temporary emergency workplace infectious disease standards.

Click here or on the image to the right for a copy of the letter.

AFT-Maryland is a state federation of public employee labor unions representing more than 15,000 workers across the state of Maryland in a number of professions. Our members include education professionals and health care professionals in addition to as a host of state employees and public employees in Baltimore city and county.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"68269","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 100%; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px;"}}]]Last week the nation celebrated public employees. Locally, AFT-Maryland is shining the spotlight on members just like yourself, that are making sacrifices to ensure everything from public health care, to education, to state services continue with some semblance of normalcy. Take a moment and learn about members from across the state federation.

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AFT-Maryland Statement on Gov. Hogan's Veto of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Legislation aka Kirwan & Revenue Generating Legislation

Baltimore, MD - AFT-Maryland is deeply disappointed in Governor Hogan's decision to ignore the bi-artisan enactment of the Kirwan Commission School reforms. With his veto of HB1300, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, Governor Hogan has unfortunately reverted to out-of-date and tired rhetoric that has proven to be ineffective at bringing positive change to public education. To do so in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that is exposing the resource gaps of so many Baltimore city students is disappointing.

The commission which worked for nearly four years to deliberate and put forth these recommendations not only had numerous

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"67950","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","style":"width: 33%; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 3px 2px; float: right;"}}]]On April 30, 2020, AFT President Randi Weingarten was on MSNBC to talk about what it will take to reopen our nation's schools safely in the wake of the coronavirus. Watch now to hear Weingarten discuss the newly released 20-page, science-based “Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities” and why this plan requires more resources. 

Click here for video links, press release, and a link to the planning document.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"67948","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","style":"width: 33%; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 3px 2px; float: right;"}}]]In response to the world-wide pandemic we are facing, the AFT is providing Grief Counseling at no cost to you. All members, active and retired, and eligible immediate family members will have the opportunity to speak with a licensed, Master’s level counselor if a death occurs as the result of COVID-19. The AFT will pay covered counseling expenses¹ for the insured and/or immediate family members. During the time in which the AFT is providing this benefit you have the opportunity to speak with one of our dedicated counselors via video, phone, or text.

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