At its executive board meeting on August 28th, the Maryland State AFL-CIO announced its endorsed candidates for statewide office for the 2014 general election. The announcement of these endorsements follows a relatively successful primary election season for labor in the state, in which nearly 90% of the AFL-CIO’s endorsed candidates won their party’s primary.
AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator Todd Reynolds praised the hard work of the unions in making its decisions. “The union movement in Maryland has done a very good job in analyzing the candidates, and then mobilizing its members to support those who will best represent the working people of Maryland. And now that the endorsement process is drawing to a close, it’s time for labor to get out the vote.”
Reynolds added that the AFT-Maryland was in the process of finalizing its schedule for conducting labor walks—door-to-door efforts where union members talk to other union members about the import of this election for education, for public employees, and for the general well-being of the state.
“Turnout is again going to be the key. Working Marylanders need to know why their vote is important. They’ll need to be convinced that their vote—and their family’s and neighbors’ vote—could be the difference between a Maryland that values top-rate public education, access to health care, and making wealthy, out-of-state corporations pay their fair share, versus a Maryland that would give our best resources away for private profit.”
The AFT-Maryland expects to announce its Labor Walk Days next week.
T.Reynolds, 9/9/14