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It is once again Black History Month and as a union of professionals in service to the public, this should be a celebration for all Marylanders. Many of us appreciate the historic contributions made to our state and country by Black people as those contributions have only served to enhance our nation and make the United States more just. As Americans, our country’s history is not something that should be ignored or diminished. We must tell honest truths, difficult as they may be, if we are indeed to create a more perfect union. 

Thankfully the labor movement has been and continues to be a place where Black people have been celebrated in community with others. CLICK TO READ MORE...

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AFT Nurses and Health Professionals and AFT Public Employees held their Professional Issues Conference in Baltimore, Maryland last week, and AFT-Maryland was there to welcome the conference to Maryland. “Baltimore is a strong union town and Maryland is a strong state for public employees,” said AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell as she addressed the attendees. 

President Campbell, along with other leaders and members of our local affiliates, played a big part in the conference, offering workshops, panels, and breakout sessions for professional public health workers and public employees. 

Read on to find out more, and for photos from the event.

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Join AFT-Maryland for a Trunk-or-Treat event! We'll have treats and books for the young folks, and voter registration information for the grown-ups!

Saturday, October 28, 2023, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Arena Players parking lot, 801 McCullough St., Baltimore, MD 21201. 

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"...As labor activists, there are lessons from the creation of our nation that we can apply to our activism. Each of the original 13 colonies had their own interests, desires, and pursuits. Those pursuits were not always aligned with one another. There were, however, places of agreement that were greater than those disputes. ..."

Read more from AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell.

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The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is a vital part of the broad tapestry that is AFT-Maryland. We are grateful for our members from a community who work alongside other public employees to help make Maryland communities what they are today.  Click through for the full message from AFT-Maryland on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month > > > MORE

The Martin Luther King Jr.  holiday should be among the most sacred days for labor. It was Dr. King who moved us with the fierce urgency of now to remember that each of us are “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This is the ethos of the labor movement. It is a testament to our commitment to solidarity and why we should venerate him today and every day.

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The busiest travel holiday of the year is also the one centered most on family and friends. Yes, the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday are not as wholesome or simple as the narrative many of us learned in elementary school, but the beauty of customs and traditions is that a society can remake the tradition into whatever it sees fit. For so many of us, Thanksgiving is more than a story about early colonial settlers, but rather a moment to pause in gratitude and appreciation with those who we hold most dearly. 

As a state federation we have so much to be thankful for collectively...

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One of the best practices any of us can embody is one of honesty and truth-telling. However, to be honest about our history does not mean we have to feel ashamed about said history. Instead, we can accept the ideas of great leaders like Malcolm X when he says “of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research.” An honest accounting of United States history means we reflect on and acknowledge the Indigenous peoples who occupied the land where we now live and work. This is the meaning behind Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

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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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The Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel (PSRP) division of the AFT is filled with labor activists and leaders who give their all for students and families while helping shape the school community. Across the country, PSRPs do a number of jobs including but not limited to cafeteria workers, janitors, facility managers, office staff, and paraeducators. A collection of those activists came from across the nation to Baltimore, Maryland for the 2023 AFT PSRP Conference.  CLICK THROUGH TO READ > > > MORE