AFT-Maryland rallied with the national AFT office and a host of activists as the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in the
Janus v. AFSCME 31 case. The case centers on Mark Janus, an Illinois child support specialist, being unwilling to pay his fair share as a non-union member although the union negotiated and bargained for the benefits he enjoys as an employee of the state.
In addition to a number of national labor unions in attendance including AFT, AFSCME, and SEIU, there were also a host of civil rights organizations and allies to labor unions who showed up that day. The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools was in attendance supporting as was the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Each of those organizations' representatives that addressed the crowd explained their presence because they recognized the value of labor unions, including public sector labor unions which are under attack in the Janus case.
While a ruling on the case isn’t expected until June, AFT-Maryland and its member locals are continuing to organize and push for legislation that preserves public employee unions in the state of Maryland and throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area.
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2018-02-26
