In Maryland, the Time is Ripe

Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who was re-elected in November with all-out support from AFSCME, has submitted a collective bargaining bill for state employees to this session of the state’s General Assembly.

In 1996, after the legislature failed to enact a collective bargaining bill, Glendening issued an executive order authorizing it for agencies under his direction. As things stand, however, less than half of the state’s employees are covered by the executive order, says Kim Keller, AFSCME International Area Director for Maryland.

Glendening’s proposed bill would extend collective bargaining to state workers not covered by the executive order. Most importantly, it provides bargaining rights to non-faculty employees in the state’s institutions of higher education.

AFSCME is already gaining organizing momentum in Maryland. Recently, more than 300 employees of the Prince George’s County Department of Health voted overwhelmingly for representation by Council 67.