Collective Bargaining Bill Withdrawn

By Cathy A. Jones

Early in its spring 2008 session, the Maryland state legislature considered a bill that would have extended collective bargaining rights to graduate employees and adjunct faculty in the University of Maryland system, Morgan State University, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, and Baltimore City Community College. The bill did not make it out of committee in the house, however, and the hearing in the senate was canceled after the state’s Department of Legislative Services produced a fiscal note predicting that the bill would require $1.3 million in additional higher education administrative expenses in the first year and $800,000 in continuing annual costs.

The bill sought to fill gaps in collective bargaining coverage left by two previous pieces of legislation. The first, passed in 1999, covered all state employees except those in higher education. The second, passed in 2001, covered university employees except those who engage in teaching or research.

The bill’s sponsor, Jamie Raskin, is a Democratic state senator and a constitutional law professor at American University in Washington, D.C.

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