News

This is an important week for AFT Maryland as we proudly celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurses Appreciation Week, and Public Service Workers Recognition Week. AFT Maryland represents dedicated workers who keep our communities running: educators, healthcare workers, state employees, and civil servants. You are the backbone of our schools, hospitals, agencies, and institutions, and the value you bring to Maryland cannot be overstated.

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Our union, Maryland School for the Deaf Faculty and Staff Association, Local 4828, AFT, AFL-CIO, was invited to the Back to School event at the White House on September 21, 2024, where First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Manuel Cardona would be speaking. About 20 members from our union attended. Most of us wore blue to represent AFT with buttons rooting for Harris/Walz by our union. The day was very warm and bright and it was held on the White House lawn so we all dressed our best but with the weather in mind as well! AFT National provided two vans to take us to the event, which we appreciated, as it allowed all of us to socialize while traveling to the White House from the Columbia campus. 

Click through to read more about our trip to the White House!

The MSD Union bargaining team has completed its work in negotiating a tentative agreement with the administration that will govern the terms and conditions of our employment for the next three years. Now it is time for the employees to vote on whether or not to accept the agreement.

The union will host brief 1-hour information sessions on the highlights of the new contract, as well as field any questions from members about its implementation. Click through for times, locations, and to RSVP!

We have a new, tentative, contract!

Thanks to the tireless work of our union leadership, our collective bargaining team, our bargaining committee, and support from AFT-Maryland, we have reached a Tentative Agreement with management. The contract is attached below for members to review. Highlights are listed below.

The next steps will include informational meetings where members can ask questions about the contract, and then we will enter the ratification process to vote on the contract. STAY TUNED for more information!

Click through for more information and to see the tentative agreement.

As the Union’s bargaining team continues to progress in its contract negotiations with the School Administration and the state, we wanted to give you a brief update regarding where things currently stand.

The Bargaining team has been meeting regularly – often multiple times per week – with negotiators from management since September. Because this is our first union contract, there has been much to be discussed. First contracts are almost always historic first steps that move the workers closer to the goals their members want to achieve; they are first steps workers take in a fight to make our work-lives and our school much better.

Click through for the full update!

The AFT has always been a solutions-driven union, and our new campaign, launched during TEACH on July 21, proves it once again with a fresh, practical approach to strengthening public education. As AFT President Randi Weingarten pointed out during her keynote speech, the $5 million, yearlong campaign, “Real Solutions for Kids and Communities,” stands up against attacks on public schools and offers real-world solutions to build up, rather than break down, our communities.

Summer is upon us, and parents, children and teachers are winding down from what has been an exhausting and fully operational school year—the first since the devastating pandemic. The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 has affected our students’ and families’ well-being and ignited the politics surrounding public schools. All signs point to the coming school year unfolding with the same sound and fury, and if extremist culture warriors have their way, being even more divisive and stressful.