Maryland Workers Win Collective Bargaining Law

State employees in Maryland finally have a voice at the table after the Maryland General Assembly passed collective bargaining legislation April 9. The law goes into effect July 1, 1999.

The law covers employees of the executive branch, who previously were covered by an executive order. The new law also extends protections to employees of the Department of Assessments and Taxation, the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Lottery Agency.

The law also creates a State Labor Relations Board to oversee contracts and negotiations.

The bill breezed through the House 103-32 in March, but the Senate delayed passage until the final hours of the General Assembly before approving the legislation 34-12.

“The Senate told thousands of state employees that their efforts on behalf of Maryland’s citizens are appreciated and respected. ... State employees who work hard every day to support themselves and their families will continue to have a rightful seat at the table when decisions are made about their future,” remarked Maryland Governor Parris Glendening. “This bill writes into Maryland law the fair and reasonable protections we put in place through our 1996 executive order.”

Some 26,000 Maryland state employees are represented by AFSCME Council 92, but their collective bargaining rights came from the executive order issued after the Maryland legislature failed to enact a collective bargaining bill for state workers.

One cloud still hangs over the bill. State university employees were excluded, the result of an eleventh-hour filibuster staged by a handful of senators. The workers haven’t given up, and are currently preparing to get a collective bargaining bill for university employees introduced in the General Assembly next year.