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Our annual celebration of Black History Month calls on us to not only remember, but revisit. In remembering the past, the heroic and courageous actions by those who came before us, we must also revisit the mindset that led people to make decisions to sacrifice for future generations – sacrifices to bring us all closer to a more perfect union. In revisiting the people of years past, we can find the strategies necessary to continue fighting battles today. One of the most valuable things about Black History Month is that it chronicles the fight for justice.  Click through to read > > > MORE

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It is rare to get 99% of people to do anything these days, unless it's unionization at the Maryland School for the Deaf. Last week, faculty and staff at the state facility voted 159-2 to unionize, authorizing the Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association, Local 4828 (MSDFSA) to serve as the exclusive bargaining agent for faculty and staff at the school. The huge and historic win comes after years of organizing. AFT-Maryland has supported the faculty and staff at the state institution for more than two decades. In the last few years however, efforts to codify collective bargaining have intensified, culminating in a collaborative effort between  AFT National, AFT-Maryland, and faculty and staff at the Maryland School for the Deaf that made up the organizing committee. 

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AFT-Maryland sent the attached letter to Governor Hogan, Baltimore City Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young, Baltimore County Executive John Olszeski Jr., and the Maryland General Assembly COVID-19 Workgroup, listing important needs for public worker safety as the state begins to reopen. Key points from the letter include:

• Gov. Hogan's COVID-19 Recovery Team must include voices from state and local public health workers, public school teachers and paraprofessionals, and non-healthcare related essential public employees. 
• The state, counties, and local municipalities must incorporate more aggressive benchmarks for testing and contact tracing.
• Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) must establish enforceable temporary emergency workplace infectious disease standards.

Click here or on the image to the right for a copy of the letter.

AFT-Maryland is a state federation of public employee labor unions representing more than 15,000 workers across the state of Maryland in a number of professions. Our members include education professionals and health care professionals in addition to as a host of state employees and public employees in Baltimore city and county.

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AFT-Maryland was present for President Joe Biden’s visit to Baltimore. Touting federal investment in the Baltimore-Potomac Tunnel, which will bear another tube that will be named for Frederick Douglass, President Biden addressed union workers, local and state dignitaries, and others. Among those in attendance were AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell, Secretary-Treasurer, LaBrina Hopkins, and City Union of Baltimore President Antoinette Ryan-Johnson. Each was there to show their support for this critical investment that would improve rail transit through Baltimore and provide approximately 20,000 union jobs. Click for photos and > > > MORE

The Year of the Rabbit invites us to consider and practice ideals of kindness. These values which this Lunar New Year celebrates guide the work we do as public employees and labor members. As more than a billion people across the world gather with family, friends, and loved ones we also share in the celebration of the Lunar New Year and eagerly turn the pages of the calendar forward from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit. Tragically, this Lunar New Year was marred by violence in Los Angeles. Ten people were killed and another ten were wounded in a shooting that cast a pall over what should be a celebratory occasion. While we do not know the motive of this particular violence, any violence that uniquely affects a particular community is abhorrent and heartbreaking. AFT-Maryland stands firmly against Asian hate. CLICK TO READ >>> MORE

The chill in the air and the year coming to a close tells us that the winter holiday season is upon us. Many of the holidays that we celebrate during the winter season are religious. If you are a person of faith celebrating a particular spiritual holiday, use this time to reflect on the principles of the holiday more than anything else. Overwhelmingly, each of the holidays celebrated at this time of year call on us to reflect upon ourselves and families, our communities, and to commit ourselves to kindness and decency to one another. As in years past, AFT-Maryland partnered with our labor family at the Metro Baltimore AFL-CIO to package and distribute food to labor families in need. Thank you for the generosity of so many of you who... CLICK TO READ > > > MORE

AFT-Maryland joined with the National Academy Foundation High School (NAF) for its 8th Annual Staff Health and Wellness Day led by BTU Building Representative, Tondelayo Howard. Students were released after a half-day of instruction, and the staff took advantage of various activities and offerings for their betterment.  AFT-Maryland Secretary-Treasurer LaBrina Hopkins greeted BTU members at the school. She reminded a number of them, and explained to a few new staff members the relationship between their local, Baltimore Teachers Union, Local 340 and the state federation AFT-Maryland... CLICK TO READ > > > MORE

Thinking about the Thanksgiving holiday has always warmed my heart. It is a time when family gathers in the company of great food, to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for. This year, unlike the last few, we can be thankful for a continued return to life as we knew it pre-pandemic. We remain vigilant against Covid-19 and its variants, yet we have seen a number of familiar events return as in-person gatherings are allowing us to once again build community with our labor family.   This year I’m personally thankful for the work we did to support candidates who support public employees. From the Governor’s mansion to the state house, our work during the electoral season will have a direct benefit on public employees. We helped... CLICK TO READ > > > MORE

Our nation owes a huge debt of gratitude to the people who serve our country valiantly in the armed forces. The sacrifice and commitment that military service demands is not to be taken lightly. Advancements in technology have changed the nature of the work, but that has not changed the amount of effort and sacrifice demanded of our armed services personnel. None of us at AFT-Maryland take for granted all that we have as Americans. CLICK TO READ > > > MORE