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AFT-Maryland, in conjunction with partners from a large cross section of Baltimore (including labor, community activist and the religious community), told the Baltimore City Council it wouldn’t support the Sagamore development at Port Covington TIF unless some key demands were met. The City Council held a hearing on the Port Covington TIF on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the Baltimore War Memorial building.

The collective called on the City Council to ensure that as property values increase, there would not be an adverse effect on city services and particularly education funding. There is a

AFT-Maryland was present and accounted for at the DPW Youthworks Resource Fair on Wednesday July 27, 2016 at the War Memorial Building, registering Baltimoreans to vote. Staff, members, and retirees in attendance worked to get young and old alike registered and involved in the electoral process. Some even saw a kinship in the younger registrants and took them to the side to explain both the historical and social significance of voting.

Many first-time voters will have the opportunity to place a true thumbprint on life for Baltimore this November as the city will hold general elections for Mayor

AFT-Maryland is partnering with a number of labor, community, and religious organizations who are voicing concerns over proposed Port Covington project in Southwest Baltimore. We need to ensure the development benefits everyone in the city, not just a wealthy few. In particular, AFT-Maryland is asking that the development project not negatively impact funding for public schools and city services.

We join our labor, faith-based, and community partners in calling for more affordable housing  as well as sustainable, locally-sourced jobs as a requirement for the project. Please attend a City

Day One of the AFT biannual National Convention got off to a rousing start. Delegates and visitors from all across the nation convened on Minneapolis, MN, for the 100th anniversary of the organization (#AFT100). Members kicked off the morning with a breakfast hosted by the Baltimore Teachers Union. AFT-Maryland President Marietta English addressed the breakfast and laid out what the members from Maryland could expect moving forward during the convention.

The convention proper kicked off in a rousing fashion with President Randi Weingarten’s state of the union address. Included in her remarks

From AFT Healthcare-Maryland: In the wake of community outrage around the potential closure of Western Maryland Hospital Center (WMHC)  we are pleased that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) is no longer interested in pursuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) which is a first step to the privatization of the facility. When DHMH initially planned to put out the RFP to as they said "explore options" patients, their families, the community and state workers joined forces to let the Governor and his administration know how much Marylanders value quality public health facilities.

While

Jetta Williams has been an RN at Western Maryland Hospital Center (WMHC) for two years, and has been a member of AFT Healthcare-Maryland for the last four months. Jetta said that “other members kept on asking me to join and a lot of people were doing it, too. I didn’t see any reason not to join.” She wishes that her co-workers who are not full members of AFT Healthcare-Maryland would be more open-minded. She believes her union gives her the ability to collaboratively work for the betterment of all employees. Jetta is responsible for making sure her patients receive the correct medication. She

A host of invested parties and stakeholders went west to participate in a national community schools conference. The conference highlighted the work community schools in Baltimore as well as others across the nation have been doing. AFT-Maryland and the Baltimore Teachers Union have been on the front lines of advancing the Community School Strategy across the State of Maryland. Of those in attendance were some of AFT-Maryland's partners on the Baltimore Education Roundtable, including Maryland Out-of-School Time (MOST), The Family League of Baltimore, and MD Communities United, among others.

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Baltimore County Public Employees had an opportunity to meet and greet the leadership of the two local unions affiliated with AFT-Maryland, which represent them. Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) and the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses (BCFPHN) executive boards welcomed and engaged members at the Drumcastle Center in Towson, MD.

Members had an opportunity to express both appreciation and concerns to their unions. Some asked about tuition reimbursement opportunities in the contract as well as work conditions and requirements made of them by the county.

BC