“An injury to one, is an injury to all.” This famous labor quote set the tone for a press conference in Annapolis where the Maryland/DC AFL-CIO called on the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation that would enable public employees throughout the state to have collective bargaining rights. Of the three bills that were highlighted during the event, AFT-Maryland has members that will be affected by two.
One is a bill that gives collective bargaining rights to supervisors who work for the state. Maryland Classified Employees Association (MCEA) local 1935 member Le’Paul Morceau testified on the Senate version of this bill. MCEA members who are supervisors in the state would be able to collectively bargain once the bill passes. Morceau mentioned that he is “looking forward to the chance to negotiate wages and work environment, and I’m glad the bill is favorable so far by all committee members.”
The other bill would extend collective bargaining rights to graduate workers and full time faculty in the University System of Maryland, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and Morgan State University. Many of those campuses have existing American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapters. The AAUP is affiliated with AFT following their historic merger in June 2022. UMD-College Park AAUP President Karin Rosemblatt referenced the earlier remarks of Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, when she pointed to the appropriateness of the press conference occuring on the first day of Black history month. Rosemblatt, a historian, recalled “the proud past of labor working with civil rights movements. That history is being repeated today,” Rosemblatt said. “In states like Florida, Ohio, Texas, where our ability to teach about civil rights and to teach about the hard past of this country are being denied. It has been educators and labor that have stood at the forefront of defending our right to speak.”
AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell commented “now is the time for the General Assembly to heed the words of the Moore-Miller administration and leave no one behind, this includes public employees seeking collective bargaining. Every worker, private or public, should be free to collectively bargain and the unity demonstrated by labor shows we fight for one another because we truly believe an injury to one is an injury to all.”
February 2024