Donna S. Edwards

Donna S. Edwards is a trailblazer and pioneer for women during her nearly 50 years of union and community activism.

She is the first woman elected President of the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO in 2017, having served as the first woman elected Secretary Treasurer of the State Fed in 2001. She was the first woman President of AFSCME Council 92 (now Council 3), 1992-2001 and President of AFSCME Local 112, 1984 to 2026.

Donna grew up in western Maryland, at the time, a union stronghold. Her father was Vice President of Glass and Ceramic Workers Local 7 at the PPG glass plant. At age 4, she helped fill food baskets during their first strike and was frequently at union meetings and actions during her childhood. She saw that unions stood together and joined each others' fights in strong solidarity.

Naturally, when she began working for Baltimore City DSS in 1977 she immediately joined AFSCME Local 112 representing social service workers across the state. At age 23, she was shop steward and at age 29 she was president of her local and a Vice President on the AFSCME Council 92 Board and the Baltimore Metro CLC Executive Board.

As a social worker and a union activist, she combined her passion to force policy changes to empower and improve people's lives. Since 1978 she has been an active labor Lobbyist in Maryland General Assembly, convening AFSCME's first legislative committee and as President, leading thousands of state and university employees to victory for the right to collectively bargain.

Under Donna‘s leadership, the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO, working in collaboration with our affiliated unions, have passed significant legislative victories for workers and our unions. Wins have consistently expanded collective bargaining to more workers each year and built transparency and reporting on jobs created by tax credits to businesses.

Leading Maryland with our affiliates to be one of the first states in 2009 to pass a comprehensive Workplace Fraud Act, Donna push for strict labor and equity standards in the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019, requiring businesses to pay prevailing wage rate, provide healthcare and retirement, CBA‘s and work place safety training to be eligible for clean energy funds. Maryland passed a strong ban on employer captive audience meetings and a legally tight "trigger" bill to protect workers should NLRA be repealed or the NLRB refuse jurisdiction. Legislative and political activities are tied closely to expanding organizing opportunities to our unions.

Donna strives to build union solidarity and power by harnessing the collective strength of all of our unions across the state and district. Affiliates and the State Fed worked together to build a structural platform, approved by our affiliates, that meets the need for all unions to stand together to protect our freedoms, rights and democracy. Donna believes the renewal of our commitment to strengthen and empower a statewide labor movement propels us forward in leading our unions and putting workers first in the evolving 21st century economy.

Donna graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Labor Studies, earned her Master's of Social Work at the University of Maryland, and earned her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of West Virginia.