Hundreds rally in Maryland over labor-friendly legislation

Maryland union members are speaking out and pressuring state leaders to stand with their workers.

Hundreds from across the state and region joined the "Whose Side Are You On" rally on Monday at Lawyers Mall at the State House in Annapolis to call on lawmakers to pass labor-friendly legislation.

Union leaders spoke as many in the crowd carried signs and chanted to members of the Maryland General Assembly. Union members rally each year in Annapolis for workers' rights. 

"We know that we are on the side of democracy and justice and equality and good-paying jobs with benefits that sustain our families, that move us into careers, that keep our livelihood and give generational wealth," said Donna Edwards, the president of the Maryland State & D.C. AFL-CIO.   

Edwards said Monday's turnout was among the largest she's seen in the state. 

Union demands

Unions from across the state and region representing healthcare workers, teachers, building and trade workers, as well as public employees, demanded the Maryland General Assembly and leaders in Washington, D.C. bolster the middle class and protect workers' rights.

"If you're not at the table, you are on the menu. Take that to heart. That is the truth," said Michael McHale, business manager of IBEW Local 24.

Edwards stressed the importance of labor unions and said the working class built this country, adding that it continues to be the foundation and backbone of the economy.

"There are no billionaires, there are no millionaires, without our brains, without our brawn, and sometimes even without our blood," Edwards said.

Some union leaders targeted the Trump administration, President Trump and Elon Musk, calling for taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Others advocated for new laws at the state level.

Advocating for employee safety

Cherrish Vick, the secretary-treasurer of AFSCME Local 112 and a social worker in Prince George's County, spent her time at the podium advocating for legislation to create a public employee safety and health unit within the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Agency (MOSH). 

The law is named after Davis Martinez, a parole officer who was killed on the job while conducting a home visit for a convicted sex offender last year.

"This unit will ensure that public employers are held accountable for violating health and safety laws, just like the private employers already have," Vick said.

The bill would also create stronger collective bargaining rights for public employees and require workplace violent prevention standards across public work sites.

Vick also honored two other union members and Baltimore City DPW workers, Ronnie Silver and Timothy Cartwell, who lost their lives on the job. 

Silver suffered hypothermia on a hot August day last year and died from his injuries. Cartwell was crushed by a trash truck on his route in November 2024.

Fight against budget cuts

Others fought against potential budget cuts both at the state and federal levels.

"Do not cut Maryland School for the Deaf. Do not cut our education system. Do not sell out our public employees," said Kenya Campbell, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Maryland. "Rather…invest in workers, stand with workers, protect our workers, listen to our workers."

Union leaders also acknowledged the thousands of federal workers in Maryland, vowing to stand by them during this uncertain time.