Press

Following years of organizing, residents and fellows working at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) have voted to form a union, affiliating with AFT Maryland. Residents and fellows at the institution determined unionization was the best way to advocate for themselves and their patients. Members of the organizing committee are excited about the victory and the promise that unionization means for themselves and future residents and fellows.

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BALTIMORE CITY IS NOT FOR SALE:
CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES TO OPPOSE DEVASTATING BALLOT MEASURES  
Coalition effort to preserve essential services, schools, representative democracy; New research details destructive financial fallout of ill-considered property tax proposal

Baltimore City elected officials, public sector workers, and residents today announced the launch of Baltimore City Not for Sale, a grassroots campaign coalition to stop ruinous ballot questions that may appear on the November 2024 ballot. Big money interests from inside and outside Baltimore City are using the ballot question process to attempt to reshape the city to benefit big businesses, developers, and the wealthiest residents.

READ THE FULL RELEASE HERE.

Faculty at Hagerstown Community College have declared their intention to unionize and affiliate with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Maryland. Earlier today, faculty members and AFT Maryland officials filed unionization cards with the Maryland Public Employees Labor Relations Board. Once certified, the faculty will be a part of the United Academics of Maryland - Hagerstown, affiliated with the AFT Maryland, AFT, AAUP, and AFL-CIO. This effort continues AFT’s engagement with organizing higher education workers. The organizing has taken off since AFT and AAUP affiliated in 2022. Unionization provides faculty with an organized body to participate in the decision making process of the college. Many longtime faculty members are excited about a chance to collaborate with administrators to demonstrate their knowledge and move Hagerstown Community College forward. 

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Resident physicians and fellows at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) delivered a petition to the President and CEO of the institution declaring their intention to form a union and expressing their desire to begin collective bargaining. This action follows years of organizing efforts. The residents and fellows will unionize with AFT Maryland who currently represents a number of health care professionals throughout the state.

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Community college faculty continue to assert their power in the workplace by joining a union. Full time faculty at Chesapeake Community College filed paperwork declaring their intention to form a union with the Maryland Public Employee Labor Relations Board. This comes after years of faculty organizing with support from AFT Maryland. Faculty at the college will join United Academics-Maryland, a union affiliated with AFT Maryland. The affiliation with AFT Maryland builds on the historic affiliation with AAUP and AFT, which took place at the AFT Convention in Boston in 2022.

Read the full press release here.

Union members from across the state, rallied outside of the Maryland state capitol in support of pro-labor legislation. Labor bills before the Maryland General Assembly would enable collective bargaining, stop wage theft, promote workplace safety, and provide job security. Labor leaders and elected officials addressed the crowd, committing to fighting until the final day of the legislative session for bills that would help Maryland working families.

Read the full press release here.

Faculty at community colleges across Maryland are choosing unionization as the best way to secure democracy in the workplace. Higher education professionals at Prince George’s Community College joined the ranks submitting paperwork declaring their intention to form a union with the Maryland Public Employee Labor Relations Board. This is the fruit of intense organizing efforts among the professors at the institution and AFT Maryland. Faculty had a rally celebrating their unionization and looking forward to collective bargaining. 

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Higher education workers from across the University of Maryland System as well as St. Mary’s College and Morgan State University rallied today calling on the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation enabling collective bargaining for full time faculty and graduate workers at public institutions across the state. Collective bargaining would improve wages, create certainty around courseload, define work schedule and responsibilities and bring much needed educator voice to shaping the direction of Maryland’s four year institutions. Joining activists to make that case were state elected leaders such as Del. Linda Foley (D-15), as well as Sen. Ben Kramer (D-19), Sen. Clarence Lam (D-12), and Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-30).

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