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CUB Water Watch 2023

The Baltimore metropolitan area’s water governance may take on a new form. What that means for City Union of Baltimore, Local 800 (CUB) members who work diligently to service the water and wastewater infrastructure is yet to be determined. However, CUB joined forces with a coalition of advocacy groups to hold a press conference demanding greater transparency of the Baltimore Regional Water Task Force, a body that was authorized by state elected officials during the 2023 legislative session. The coalition featured environmental, racial, and economic justice advocates including representatives from Food and Water Watch, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services.


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AFT-Maryland supportys AFGE workers

AFT-Maryland knows all too well the pressure public employees are under. The state federation represents a broad coalition of workers employed by state and local governments so the plight of labor siblings employed by the federal government, though different, is familiar. That’s why it was important for the state federation to stand in solidarity with American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) members who work at the Social Security Administration (SSA) as they rallied to address current working conditions and address the ongoing public service crisis. The crisis centers around low staffing levels resulting in an inordinate amount of work for remaining SSA employees. Moreover, the union is back at the bargaining table and is looking to provide fair working conditions for existing employees while creating a healthy working climate for new hires. 

AFT-Maryland Community Engagement Director Jeffery Johnson is a consistent advocate for solidarity among workers and often represents AFT-Maryland at events such as these. He said the show of solidarity was about more than just standing beside federal government employees. CLICK TO READ > > >

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AFT-Maryland members at Biden-Harris Rally

The summer of 2023 is just getting started, so that means the 2024 Presidential election season is already underway. President Joe Biden kicked off his re-election efforts with a labor rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday June 17, 2023. The AFL-CIO sponsored the event which brought together activists from a wide range of industries united under the banner of labor to support President Biden’s quest for four more years. The President has overwhelming support from labor due in large part to his long record of support from and for labor unions. In 2020 he declared he would be the most pro-union president in United States history.  

Although the event was in neighboring Pennsylvania, AFT-Maryland activists made the trip and were excited to support President Biden’s re-election efforts. 

CLICK THROUGH TO READ MORE > > >

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Juneteenth is a holiday that every working person should hold a deep reverence and appreciation for. Colloquially, we think of the holiday in terms of freeing enslaved African-Americans. While that is undoubtedly true, this holiday changed the nature of labor in this country forever. It is a celebration of the events that forbade exploited labor in the United States. Slavery was a commitment to exploiting people for the purpose of their labor, that exploitation was determined by the color of their skin. As working people, we know that the unfair and abusive treatment of workers does not just hurt those people being mistreated but others who want to earn an honest living at a fair wage using their talent and treasure.  CLICK TO READ > > >

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Randi Weingarten at a Massachusetts high school

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.

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Contact Update

Members! Are you receiving emails from AFT-Maryland? We send out regular updates with news from our local affiliates, information about member benefits, and topics that are important to our members. Stay in the loop with us! Update your contact information at aftmd.us/contactupdate so that we can keep your member records up to date, and make sure you don't miss out on any of the news from AFT-Maryland. 

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Visit the Political Hub

The political season is well underway, and your union is busy providing services that will make it easier for members to participate in our democracy. AFT-Maryland's Political Hub is a one-stop web hub for members that can help you find information to register to vote, identify your representatives in state and local government, keep abreast of legislation in Annapolis that affects your work, identify various candidates running for office, understand the AFL-CIO endorsement process, and much more.

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Rain may have canceled Wolfe Street Academy’s Wolfe Fest, but it was not going to stop AFT-Maryland from distributing books to students as a part of the Reading Opens the World program. The state federation joined the south Baltimore school for their Family Social Studies Night. The event brought families into the school to inform parents about the curriculum students are learning. The night also served as a great way to connect the Wolfe Street school community with the larger south Baltimore community. Students presented displays of their work as well as made videos that families and loved ones watched demonstrating what they’ve learned in Social Studies this school year. AFT-Maryland was on hand with a beautiful display of books for families to take home.  CLICK TO READ > > > MORE
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Reading is a tool that opens every world. The state federation's deep integration into the community leads other organizations to partner with us when schools and community groups want to expand literacy among their students. AFT-Maryland has done this consistently over the past year with the Reading Opens the World events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (video) and Black History Month. During these events AFT-Maryland engages with students as well as faculty and staff as we distribute books for students to use to develop their home libraries.  Things were no different at Hamilton Elementary-Middle School. Students received books focused on characters and stories celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage. The books are empowering for students... CLICK TO READ > > > MORE
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AFT-Maryland is PROUD to stand in solidarity with our members celebrating this month. Every public employee in our state federation is seen and recognized. We work diligently to make worksites a more democratic and safe place for public employees. That includes supporting LGBTQIA+ workers in feeling protected and included in the labor family. We never want our members to feel compelled to mute or misrepresent their identity at work or anywhere else. Our work serves the public, and LGBTQIA+ workers are part of the public and vitally intertwined in Maryland. CLICK TO READ > > >

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