News

AFT Healthcare-Maryland President Debra Perry submitted testimony in favor of Senate Bill 483 February 20th. That bill proposes additional protections for workers in healthcare facilities. Perry’s testimony documented numerous incidents of violence that had befallen healthcare workers in state facilities and requested that legislators pass the bill SB 483.

The bill calls for the creation of a committee to study workplace violence prevention measures and the establishment of specific procedures that greatly reduce the opportunities for a violent incident to occur in state healthcare facilities.

http://afthealthcaremd.md.aft.org/

While the official percentage of unionized workers in America is cited as 11.3 percent, the AFL-CIO says that the labor movement is much larger than that percentage reflects. 

The labor movement is not limited to union membership, AFL-CIO spokespersons say, and, in fact, an article in American Prospect magazine supports that view. According to the article, a new group of labor activists is emerging in America. Called “alt-labor” activists, these workers, include striking fast food workers, Walmart employees, day laborers, restaurant workers, home health care providers, taxi drivers, domestic

We know that AFT members are heroes who are reclaiming the promise every day, and we want to hear about them!

Do you know an AFT member who has made a difference in his or her workplace? Someone who has had a profound and positive impact on the community? Someone whose extraordinary contribution in his or her field of work, or to the lives of others, has been heroic?

Please nominate your Everyday Hero by filling out a brief form by Jan. 31, 2014, at www.aft.org/everydayheroes, and you will be entered to win a $250 gift card.

We will identify semifinalists from each of our constituencies: 

A $5,000 grant was recently awarded to Edmondson-Westside High School from the AFL-CIO, and will be used to raise awareness of unions. Every student in the school is involved in a trade such as Media Production, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, etc. Carla McCoy, BTU Board member, building rep, and a teacher at the school, says the grant will help the school bring unionism to the forefront of those programs.

McCoy says they plan to start the implementation of this program in January. Part of the program will include the students and teachers in the trades to work closely with the union

Join business owners, union members, faith leaders and community activists on Tuesday, January 14th at 5:45 PM at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis to show your support for the higher minimum wage in Maryland that low-wage workers deserve. Join us!

We are fighting for a progressive bill:

• Raise the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016
• Index the minimum wage to the cost of living
• Boost the pay of tipped workers from 50 to 70 percent of the minimum wage

JOIN THE FIGHT!
Tuesday, January 14th, starts at 5:45 p.m.
Lawyers Mall, Annapolis, MD

Sponsored by Raise Maryland    
RSVP at RaiseMD.org

Raise Maryland is a diverse

At its December 16th meeting, the AFT-Maryland Legislative Committee identified three major areas on which it will focus during the 2014 Maryland legislative session. The committee agreed that the Maryland pension plan, workplace violence prevention, and the Correctional Officers Bill of Rights will be its primary areas of concentration.

Committee members and AFT-Maryland legislative advocates will monitor the pension contributions to state employee pension plan and advocate that the state contribute at least $300 million to the plan for the fiscal year.

Legislative activists also will promote

The American Federation of Teachers, in cooperation with the First Book program, announced that it has distributed 1 million books to teachers, low-income students, community and civic groups. Those books included 400,000 books distributed in the Baltimore area.

Christine Curry of the AFT Paraprofessionals and School Related Personnel Department and coordinator of the book distribution effort in Baltimore called the program, “a huge success.”

AFT-Maryland and Baltimore Teachers Union members and staff helped to sort and distribute over 400,000 books in Baltimore earlier this month.