News

Member Spotlight: Lisa Oelfke

Meet Lisa Oelfke. She is a Health Policy Analyst in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is also a member of AFT Healthcare-Maryland, and has been for the last five years.

Day to day, she analyzes healthcare policies and issues, all in an effort to improve medical assistance programs that serve some of the most vulnerable Marylanders. This job also sees her do instrumental work with the Maryland Health Connection (Maryland’s health care exchange developed as a result of the Affordable Care Act). The work she and her colleagues do has not gone unnoticed. Her office received the Team

Join AFT-Maryland for Lobby Night in Annapolis

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*** RESCHEDULED ***

Due to the blizzard and hazardous road conditions, the Lobby Night scheduled for Mon. Jan. 25th has been rescheduled for Mon. Feb. 22nd.
We hope you'll join us then!

At this year's National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) Conference, AFT-Maryland and Baltimore Teachers Union President Marietta English was sworn in as president of that organization. She will serve a three year term as head of the educational lobbying organization. English has been a NABSE member since the 1980s.

In her inauguration speech, English thanked her friends and family that were in attendance as well as the staff members of the BTU and AFT-Maryland. She promised the organization would be more visible and have a prominent role influencing lawmakers on public policy.

NABSE

Meet MCEA member Ray Crosby. He is a 39-year veteran of State and County Service in Harford County. Throughout his two decades of membership in MCEA Chapter 610, he has served the union in a number of roles including chief steward, county chair, and chapter treasurer. In Harford County he is a Senior Water Plant Operator and monitors water quality for a plant that produces 20 million gallons a day. His hard work goes to ensuring that there is safe drinking water for the residents and that county emergency services such as the fire department are up and running in case of emergency.

Being a

MSDE issues its report on Student Testing in Maryland

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Click through for more on this report, and for links to articles on Student Assessments in Maryland.

AFT-MD Endorsement Process

The following is a primer on the AFT-Maryland and the endorsement process for the federal races.

The AFT-Maryland is a federation of local unions of the AFT within the state, including the Baltimore Teachers Union, the City Union of Baltimore, the Maryland Public Employee Council (for state employees), the AFT-Healthcare Maryland (for state healthcare workers), the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees, the Maryland Classified Employee Association, to name just a few.

The unions of the AFT-Maryland participate fully in the endorsement process of the Maryland and DC AFL-CIO. For the US

Baltimore County 911 call center employees protested a threat of major scheduling changes on Monday night outside county headquarters in Towson. The Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (Local #4883) organized the rally, and members of other unions attended to show their support, as well, including 911/311 call center employees from Baltimore City, who are members of the City Union of Baltimore (Local #800).

Union members are protesting a mandatory rotating shift policy. The shift change has already caused dozens of 911 call center employees to leave the department, which is now

Fight to Raise Minimum Wage

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Join your union sisters & brothers, other activists, organizers and concerned parties for an important rally Monday September 28, 2015 at 4pm in front of City Hall as we call for an increase in the minimum wage. Read

Back to School Rally at Warwick Park

All across Baltimore, students and families alike were revved up for the start of the 2015-16 school year. The Baltimore Teachers Union was excited to participate in the 10th Annual Back to School Give-A-Way and rally at Warwick Park in West Baltimore on Saturday, August 29th. The event featured high profile city officials including States' Attorney Marilyn Mosby, her husband (and City Councilman) Nick Mosby, as well as State Senator Joan Carter-Conway. The event was hosted by Bilal Ali Productions and Bridges & Son's Grocery.

The union was able to touch different parts of the community. We did

“Less Testing, More Learning” Town Hall

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Join us for an important conversation where YOUR voice can be heard, as Marc Steiner moderates a town hall discussion on "Less Testing, More Learning."

Click here to read more...