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ment No. 22, the right that is granted in
the amendment adopted, but it does not
bar them from acting to organize or to be
represented.
At least that is the Chair's understand-
ing. Any delegate desire to speak in favor
of the amendment?
Delegate Vecera.
DELEGATE VECERA: No, Mr. Chair-
man. I just want to amplify a point.
THE CHAIRMAN: I want to find out
of any delegate desires to speak in favor?
(There was no response.)
If not, the Chair recognizes Delegate
Vecera to speak in opposition.
DELEGATE VECERA: Mr. Chairman,
I want to ask Delegate Weidemeyer a
question on this point. That was on line 7,
I think he intended this —
THE CHAIRMAN: Just a second. He
does not have the floor.
Delegates desiring to debate have pri-
ority over delegates desiring to ask ques-
tions. Does any delegate desire to speak
in opposition?
Delegate Vecera.
DELEGATE VECERA: I am debating
it.
On line 7, what Delegate Weidemeyer is
intending to do, I think, is to make the
scope wider by saying "those indirectly
employed under contract". That would take
in a wider scope. He wants to do away
with all the private as well as state
employees.
I think he did not intend that and per-
haps he might want to modify that sec-
tion, Mr. President.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other delegate
desire to speak in favor of the amendment?
Do you desire to speak in favor of the
amendment, Delegate Mitchell?
DELEGATE MITCHELL: No.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in favor?
(There was no response.)
Does any delegate desire to speak in op-
position?
Delegate White.
DELEGATE WHITE: Mr. Chairman,
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and members of the Convention, I have
listened very carefully to the presenta-
tions which have been made this morning.
I have listened intently to the remarks
which are made by my delegate friend to
my right and, no doubt, if I had had his
same experiences I would share his fears
of what might occur if we sustained the
vote which was taken this morning by the
majority.
I can see where he stands but, Mr. Chair-
man, America has come a long way in the
area of employee management relations
since the 1930's. It was in the 1930's that
the Wagner Act was passed which extended
to employees in America the right to or-
ganize under certain conditions and to
choose their own representatives for the
purposes of collective bargaining.
But this great act did not cover fed-
eral employees. It was some years later
that executive order 10988 was issued by
the president of the United States which
authorized federal employees to organize
and to bargain collectively and to sign
contracts.
It would seem to me that there is no rea-
son to fear that municipal employees and
employees in other governmental units if
permitted to organize would not conduct
themselves in the same responsible manner
which their brothers and sisters do at the
federal level.
The President of the United States, John
F. Kennedy, took another great step when
he issued an executive order to apply equal
employment opportunity to females and of
course we have retreated from that at the
present time.
Yesterday, Mr. President and members
of this Convention, on the way back to
Baltimore, I listened to that great Presi-
dent of the United States and he stated in
part in an appearance before a labor con-
vention that labor and management are the
same as two fingers on a hand; in fact
what they do is mutually compatible.
Mr. President, I suggest that we should
vote down this amendment and give em-
ployees in local units of government in
Maryland an opportunity to organize and
select their own representative because it
is only with their own chosen and selected
representative that workers can deal on a
basis of equality with members of manage-
ment and I ask you to vote down this
proposal.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in favor of the amend-
ment?
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