News | AFT-Maryland

In Appreciation of Nurses

May 6, 2022 was National Nurses Day kicking off a week of celebration and appreciation for the backbone of the healthcare field. For AFT-Maryland, it was an opportunity to show the nurses who are members of the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses, Local 5102 how grateful we are for their dedicated service to public health in Baltimore County. Our members were on the front lines of the public health efforts during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the rollout of vaccines and boosters, our nurses have continued to serve Baltimore county residents with care and compassion, all while ensuring their work to keep the public healthy. CLICK TO READ MORE

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a welcome sight on our calendars. It signals the start of summer, the near completion of the school year, and the peak of the promised May flowers that come after the April showers. Above all, however, Memorial Day is a moment to reflect on the heroic sacrifices made by those who paid the ultimate price in military service for our country. The Armed Forces is public employment and has been a stepping stone into the middle class for generations of Americans. Enlisting and serving in the armed forces has positively changed the fortunes of countless American families dating back to the Civil War. CLICK TO READ MORE

AFT-Maryland Attends Unite Here Local 7 Rally

An injury to one, is an injury to all. That’s a deeply held belief in the labor movement, and AFT-Maryland showed up for our labor family from Unite Here Local 7. Members of the union who work concessions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, held a rally demanding an increase in pay to keep up with the rising cost of inflation. AFT-Maryland stood in solidarity with the workers who are currently being paid minimum wage. Unite Here Local 7 is demanding $15 an hour and are currently bargaining with the company Delaware North who is the stadium’s concessionaire. CLICK TO READ MORE

AFT-Maryland Statement on the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

We are devastated and heartbroken to issue yet another statement following another mass shooting taking the lives of students and teachers in a school. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrific tragedy. But we are also weary of the helpless feeling that comes with not being able to cease these incidents. When we call on common sense gun legislation, it is not to politicize tragedy, it is an effort to save our children, our teachers, elders at grocery stores, parishioners at their place of worship, and frankly any of us, anywhere we may be. The solution will not only be... CLICK TO READ MORE

AROS and The People's Education Platform

AFT-Maryland as well as the Baltimore Teachers Union, Local 340 are a part of the Baltimore Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) and were involved in efforts to create the people’s education platform. The platform identified 14 different educational priorities parents, students, education professionals, and community members alike could vote for as their top issues. Some of the priorities people could choose were practical job and life skills, significant reduction in standardized testing, as well as more resource classes, field trips, and cultural experiences, just to name a few. Over the course of about two months, the Baltimore AROS set up... CLICK TO READ MORE

AFT-Maryland at NAF - Teacher Appreciation Week 2022

Teacher Appreciation Week 2022 was a great opportunity to welcome community partners back in schools to engage educators and thank them for the work they do. AFT-Maryland took that opportunity to visit with education professionals at the National Academy Foundation (NAF) in East Baltimore. The state federation was represented by President Kenya Campbell, Secretary-Treasurer LaBrina Hopkins, and Community Engagement Director Jeffery Johnson. The school hosted... CLICK TO READ MORE

AFT-Maryland Statement on the Passing of Dr. Lillian Lowery

News of Dr. Lillian Lowery’s passing has saddened our state federation deeply. We had the utmost respect for her as a tireless fighter for students across the state of Maryland. Dr. Lowery’s historic term as the first African-American to head the Maryland State Department of Education was monumental for young Black women who aspired for careers in educational administration. She served at every level of education including as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and superintendent before leading education departments in Delaware and Maryland. Click to Read MORE

Welcome, Spring!

The turn of the pages on the calendar to April brings excitement at the anticipation of spring. The season is one that holds a great deal of potential and promise. Many of us will resume some of our favorite outdoor activities; others will try new outdoor ideas for the first time. We know the adage that “April showers, bring May flowers,” and we are eager for the longer, warmer days, even if we have to put up with some rainy ones here and there. This year, the month of April also brings... Click to Read MORE

BTU Members Testify to get Bargaining for Class Size

Class sizes make a huge difference in an educator’s ability to reach and connect with their students. Unfortunately for Maryland educators however, class sizes are non-negotiable and cannot be collectively bargained. House Bill 890 (HB890) seeks to change that. While a number of education professionals and advocates from across the state offered testimony detailing how necessary this legislation is for classroom instructors, the most visually compelling testimony came from AFT-Maryland members in the Baltimore Teachers Union (Local 340).

BTU member Nathan Ferrell testifies via Zoom on the

March has been a busy month for AFT affiliates in Annapolis. With the 90-day legislative session going strong, many of our unions have appeared virtually or headed to Annapolis to testify on bills that could meaningfully change working conditions and benefits for our public employees. Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE Local 4883) President John Ripley and Area Vice President Kasia Gatchalian testified on two bills that would affect 911 operators in Baltimore county.

BCFPE President John Ripley, Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-17), and BCFPE Area VP Kasia Gatchalian

The first is