For Immediate Release: October 27th, 12pm
AFSCME Endorses Tom Perez for Governor of Maryland
BALTIMORE- Today, AFSCME Council 3 and AFSCME Council 67 jointly announced their endorsement of candidate and former Maryland and U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez to be our next Governor. Together, the two councils represent nearly 100 local unions, over 800 worksites, and over 50,000 state, county, municipal, school board and higher education employees across Maryland.
AFSCME members invited all major candidates, Republicans and Democrats, to meet with our board. After we conducted candidate interviews our board unanimously voted to endorse Tom Perez. Our union worked alongside Perez when he served as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation under Governor Martin O’Malley. As Secretary, we were proud to sit across the table from him and have a real partner committed to solving problems and enacting change to improve the lives of working people and those we serve.
AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran said, “Working people in Maryland are counting on the next Governor to fund a real recovery from the pandemic. Tom Perez is the leader we need with the proven record of experience improving Maryland’s public agencies. His history fighting for civil rights, labor rights and effectively running state and federal departments is what Maryland and our members need. Our members are sick and tired of Governor Hogan’s failing administration and we are ready to usher in a new era of change in the Governor’s Mansion.”
AFSCME Council 67 Executive Director Glen Middleton said, “Tom Perez is the only gubernatorial candidate to have local government, state government and federal government experience. He not only has the broad vision of what government means for Marylanders, he has the experience of knowing how government can deliver for Marylanders. He won’t govern by press conference – he’ll roll up his sleeves and get the job done.”
AFSCME Local 3641 member and longtime Department of Labor Job Services Specialist Orion Jones said, “I am so proud that our union is endorsing Tom Perez. There is no clearer example of why we need a better Governor than the Department of Labor and the struggle Marylanders have had accessing unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Hogan’s consistent underfunding and understaffing makes our work to address Marylanders’ needs more difficult every single day and we need change now!”
When: Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 at 12pm
Where: 1410 Bush St, Baltimore MD
Who: AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran and members and AFSCME Council 67 President Glen Middleton and members alongside gubernatorial candidate Tom Perez
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