AFT

The AFT, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.72 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide. Members come from different sectors including healthcare, K-12, higher education employees, and non-education public employees. 

AFT Healthcare - AFT Nurses and Health Professionals—first known as the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals and later as AFT Healthcare—was created in 1978 when the AFT constitution was amended to allow the organizing and affiliation of healthcare workers. Since its creation, the division has grown to represent 200,000 health professionals across a wide variety of disciplines and settings including attending, fellow, and resident physicians, PAs, NPs, CRNAs, RNs, Nurse Midwives, Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and many more. 

In the past 10 years, nearly 100,000 health professionals across the nation have joined our union with thousands organizing each year, making Nurses and Health Professionals the fastest-growing healthcare union in the country and the second-largest nurses union in the AFL-CIO.

AFT-Maryland, AFT, AFL-CIO

AFT-Maryland, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, was chartered in 1973 and today represents more than 18,000 members in the State of Maryland. These members include nurses working for Baltimore County, nurses, and PAs in state hospitals, and Baltimore teachers. 

The local unions within our State Federation represent pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. 

Members make their voices heard on the state level by electing delegates to our state convention and by participating on various committees. Delegates to the convention vote on policy and the goals and objectives of the state federation. The convention elects the president, the secretary-treasurer, and the twelve vice presidents who comprise the Executive Board. The Executive Board directs the operations of AFT-Maryland between conventions.