Unions in Maryland rally in Annapolis to advocate for labor-friendly legislature

BALTIMORE - We are a week away from Crossover Day in the Maryland Legislature and labor unions across the state want to make sure their voices are heard.

"It's a packed agenda for labor this year," Maryland/DC AFL-CIO President Donna Edwards said. 

The Maryland/DC chapter of the AFL-CIO held its annual rally on Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis Monday night, bringing together hundreds of members from about a dozen unions that represent construction workers, educators and private sector employees.

"We're just here to let our legislator know, hey, we are voters, too," Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO President Courtney Jenkins said. "We are constituents and we need to be taken care of just like everybody else."

Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller spoke briefly at the event.

The rally is held a week before Crossover Day when each chamber of the legislature sends the other bills they plan to pass.

The unions are hoping lawmakers will advocate for bills that deal with major issues like wage theft.

"Wage theft is still an awful issue here in Maryland," Edwards said.

And, for bills that would give more workers across the state the power to unionize.

"Right now, we're looking at higher education professionals, library support-system workers as well as our adjunct and supervisory employees across the state government who don't yet have the right to collectively bargain," Jenkins said.

One of the unions that attended the rally, RENEW Local 26, is also looking to get more younger workers involved.

"We are the next generation," Logan Valle of RENEW Local 26 said. "We're going to be the presidents of our locals. We're going to be the congressman. We're going to be the councilmembers."

Crossover Day is on March 18.