Today, we remember, honor, and mourn the lives of workers who should still be with us – the unsung heroes whose lives were lost while they were serving the people of Maryland – but we also make sure that their memory fuels the fight to ensure that this never happens to another worker again.
This Workers’ Memorial Day, we are met with the reality that many of our members continue to face dangerous conditions every single day–conditions made worse by policy failures, gaps in communication, and a lack of accountability. We are uniting to send a clear message: Enough is enough. Safety in the workplace is not up for negotiation. It is the standard.
Trina Cunningham, a dedicated worker and a beloved member of the City Union of Baltimore, lost her life due to a lack of adherence to workplace safety protocol. Trina’s death and the deaths and injuries of so many workers were preventable. This can not go on any longer. Improving worker protection can’t be something we only talk about after a tragedy, it must be a priority for state management now and always.
Executive orders from the new administration are threatening the safety standards that we fought for. We must defend the hard-won safety and health protections workers deserve and continue to push back against any effort to weaken them. That means opposing cuts to job safety staff and funding. That means demanding strong enforcement of all job safety laws and holding our elected leaders accountable when they fall short.
Today and always, we send our deepest condolences to our members who have lost friends, family, and loved ones on the job. We honor their memories and the selfless lives that they lived serving the people of Maryland.
Our top priority will always be your safety, your rights, and the ongoing fight to strengthen those rights. We will continue to lead from the front lines to improve and protect worker safety policies, because every worker deserves to go to work and come back home safe, and every life lost is one too many.
Kenya Campbell, President
AFT Maryland, AFT, AFL-CIO
Workers Memorial Day, 2025
above: AFT Maryland president Kenya Campbell and City Union of Baltimore president Antoinette Ryan-Johnson delivering remarks at the press conference at Baltimore City Hall.