On January 23, 2020, Jeanne Sears and Emil Volcheck attended the United Workers (UW) January Roundtable meeting at the 2640. UW announced a breakthrough in their Fair Development Campaign: the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Commission is expected to vote to approve a requirement that 40% of spending from the AHTF will go to fund community land trusts. UW had previously advocated for 65% to go toward permanently affordable housing, so this is a significant step toward that goal. The AHTF Commission has also agreed to include permanent housing as one criterion when scoring proposals. The AHTF Commission next meets on Tuesday, January 28. UW played a leading role in these positive changes. Note that these decisions are not final until officially approved by the Commission.
UW launched a membership program to support the Fair Development Roundtable. Starting this month, UW will accept individual membership applications for annual dues of $15 and a pledge to participate in meetings and support their efforts. The
UW will launch their Zero Waste Campaign at a meeting on February 22, 12-3 pm, at City Garage, 101 W. Main St., Baltimore MD 21230. The goals of their campaign include a plastic bag ban, a tax on paper bags, and to shut down the Baltimore incinerator. UW has asked for organizations to sign on to their Zero Waste Letter.
