Union members and leaders gathered at a rally on Oct. 4, 2012 in support of Question 7, the ballot question that will add a sixth casino in Prince George's County. AFT-Maryland and the Baltimore Teachers Union were represented, along with the Maryland/DC AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers. The UAW represents casino workers in New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio and Connecticut. (1090AM WBAL)

President English spoke at the rally (see video here), saying "A vote for Question 7 is a vote for more money for Maryland schools."

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On May 3, 2012, Joel Smith appeared before the Court of Appeals on behalf of a coalition of Anne Arundel County public safety unions.

Joel argued that a 2011 bill passed by the Anne Arundel County Council and signed by the County Executive was in clear violation of a 2002 Amendment to the Anne Arundel County Charter. The Amendment mandated binding interest arbitration to resolve disputes concerning terms and conditions of employment for certain public safety employees. In an opinion dated September 28, 2012, the Court agreed. The Court concluded that the 2002 Amendment and its implementing legislation were entirely lawful. The 2011 bill was unlawful. The opinion settles thirty-five years of case law on the issue.

This is an important win for public employees across the State of Maryland.

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Information union supporters need to know about the new film "Won't Back Down", starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal as a parent-teacher duo who use a "parent trigger" law to take over a failing public school.

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AFT-Maryland is proud to be one of the Partners in the Maryland Voter Registration & Get Out The Vote Coalition. Other partners include AFT, AFSCME Maryland, Baltimore Teachers Union, MD/DC AFL-CIO, NAACP Baltimore & Maryland, and many more.

Volunteers have been canvassing local businesses and communities in an effort to raise election awareness and to register voters for the upcoming election.

Tomorrow is National Voter Registration Day, and our volunteers will be out there again, doing great work!

For info:

MD Voter Registration & GOTV Coalition | Ph: 410.269.1940 | marylandregisterandvote@gmail.com

The AFT National Convention continues in the city of Detroit with AFT members discussing new ways of maintaining quality education and essential public services in the face of threats presented by corporate and special interests. Across the nation, those interests have sponsored anti-union attacks and have promoted budget cuts that require the elimination of jobs for teachers and public workers. The more than 3,000 delegates attending the 82nd AFT National Convention, however, have been inspired by the remarks of President Randi Weingarten, who told convention attendees that AFT would pursue a new vision of unionism. Weingarten told convention delegates that AFT must pursue “solution driven unionism,” an approach that focuses on uniting union members and creating solutions to the problems that plague working people and their communities.

The folks who keep the town of Ocean City, Md., running—beach sweepers, boardwalk crews, bus drivers, recreation staff, clerks, trash collectors and more—just want to be heard. Thus far, they’ve made their voices clear enough to win a place on November’s ballot, where voters will decide whether city general staff should have the right to collective bargaining.