UNITED FOR CHARLES COUNTY

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,  workers in Charles County, Maryland faced the overwhelming task of organizing the first-ever countywide union of public works employees. Facing racial discrimination, anti-union retribution, and the ongoing hardships of working while exposed to a deadly, contagious disease, I was continually inspired by these workers' fearlessness, tenacity, and solidarity.

Many were just a few years from retirement - for many the struggle to unionize was more for the benefit of future generations of Charles County workers than for themselves. These workers were old-school and were learning unionization strategies for the first time.  One worker put it best when he described what he understood about unions and the labor movement before attempting to form one at his workplace - he said he had "always thought unions were like any other workplace benefit, like health insurance, dental or a 401k." Many of these workers were learning for the first time that a union wasn't some outside force run to as a benefits package for workers - it was the workers themselves, organized into a unified whole, advocating for their collective needs as they bargain with their employer.

AFSCME was also forced to try new things while COVID-19 continued to spread. In my role as campaign communications lead, I implemented one of the first digital union cards in AFSCME's 90 year history, hosted on the United for Charles County website. I created and helped to grow online organizing spaces, including Facebook groups, Zoom union meetings, and a series of short films for social media that continued drawing new sign-ups to the unionization effort. At every step we worked with workers to understand which digital tools would work for potential members, and which would not. In May of 2020 we succeeded in passing legislation that would finally allow Charles County public works employees to collectively bargain, overcoming a major legal hurdle in the workers' struggle to form their first union.