Ahead of Labor Day, the rally outside the Social Security Administration building in Woodlawn wasn’t large — maybe 50 people, tops — nor was it rowdy, with just one larger banner and one portable speaker.
So there were murmurs of surprise when, after brief remarks from two labor leaders and a Democratic congressman, Courtney Jenkins, president of the Metro Baltimore Council AFL-CIO, walked back to the group.
“They’re shutting us down,” he said, gesturing back toward the building.
Administrators and building security told Jenkins that people could continue to gather in the courtyard outside the building, but they couldn’t give any more remarks or use the speaker.
“This is again, a suppression of our voice and our rights to come out and talk about what’s happening,” Jenkins said. “And you know, that’s what their goal is, in a sense, to make sure that people can’t speak up.”
Officials for the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment.
The rally in Woodlawn was the third and final stop of the day for the union groups, which were traveling around the region to highlight three themes: freedom, fairness and security.
The stop at the Social Security Administration was meant to highlight security — and to show support to federal government employees who “work every day to provide us with the security and stability,” organizers said.
Maryland, with its high percentage of federal workers, has found itself especially vulnerable to cuts from the Trump administration. That included a one-month drop of 3,500 federal jobs in June this year.
Daraius Irani, a vice president and economist at Towson University, said the Maryland economy could be especially impacted by changes in the federal government.
The state has a large reliance on the federal government for jobs, tariffs could negatively affect the Port of Baltimore, and grants to institutions and universities in the state could get cut — all working together to create “challenging” uncertainty, he said.
Maryland does have some resilience built into its economy, Irani said. The state has a large biomedical, cybersecurity and defense industries, all of which could see continued or even increased investment.
Overall, Irani said he is “a bit concerned about Maryland’s economy going forward.”
‘About what workers deserve’
Lisa Steltenpohl, principal viola with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Union, came to the Social Security rally to show support and solidarity for the AFL-CIO. She said the BSO union had received significant support from other local unions back in 2019.
“When something happens to one union member, it happens to us all,” she said.
The BSO is in the middle of negotiating a new contract, she said.
Speaking before the crowd last week, Jenkins said the unions were demanding action — they wanted the reversal of changes within the Social Security Administration that took employees out of local offices, as well as protection for the jobs of federal employees from government spending cuts.
“Cutting jobs and gutting services isn’t patriotic, it’s reckless,” he said.
Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Democratic freshman lawmaker who represents Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District, said he would push for a bill called the Protect America’s Workforce Act to move through the House.
The bill — which has 222 cosponsors, including 7 Republicans — would negate an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that removed collective bargaining rights from workers at some federal agencies. The order is being challenged in court.
“You have my pledge as I go back next week, every day, I will fight for you,” Olszewski said to the crowd.
The other stops on the bus tour highlighted other labor issues, including the freedom to form and join unions and “fairness so working people can earn our fair share of the wealth we create,” organizers said.
Maryland has a $15 minimum wage, which is higher than the federal minimum wage of just $7.25 an hour, though some counties have mandated an even higher minimum wage. The minimum wage for tipped workers in the state is just $3.63.
Jenkins said those other stops — a job site near the Baltimore Cruise Terminal and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport — did not see their rallies blocked, nor were attendees told to disperse.
Both saw a few dozen people come out, he said, to rally ahead of Labor Day.
“On Labor Day, it’s all about what workers deserve,” Jenkins said. “It is that freedom, fitness and security.”
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