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I believe, however, I know what it was.
I am a State Senator, as you know, and
everybody thinks that a State Senator can
do wonders. I live in Cambridge, which is
exactly three miles from the Eastern Shore
State Hospital, which is the same kind of
a hospital that Mrs. Key is talking about.
It is a mental hospital. There is not a
week goes by, Mr. President, that I do not
have somebody call me on the telephone
asking me, "Fred, can't you help me get
a job at the Eastern Shore State Hospital"?
If that be the case, then I think — I
know — they should get more money. We
all should get more money. You and I here
today should get more money, but the point
is to answer her question, that there are
a lot of people in our area, very willing,
capable of doing this job. They have asked
for the job. They beg for the job. They
even go to politicians like me to get the
job and in answer to the question, there
are plenty of people who will take these
jobs and do the job well at the present
existing salary.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any fur-
ther questions of the sponsor of the
amendment?
Delegate Marvin Smith.
Just a second. Delegate Malkus has left
one minute. There are three people seeking
to ask questions. Will you make the ques-
tion short.
DELEGATE M. SMITH: Mr. Chair-
man, I have here in mind clarifying lan-
guage that I thought would accomplish
that which Delegate Malkus might have
in mind:
If we were to strike out "this" on the
fourth line; and on the fifth line, the
words "section shall not authorize"; change
the "e" in employees to upper case; strike
out the word "to" on the sixth line and
insert "are not"; it would then read, "Em-
ployees of the State of Maryland shall not
engage in any strike against the State."
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Malkus,
that is made as a suggestion. Will you
respond to it?
DELEGATE MALKUS: Mr. President,
I certainly would accept the amendment,
because that is what I intended it to do.
THE CHAIRMAN: Is there any objec-
tion to modifying the amendment in the
manner indicated?
The Chair hears none. In line 4, strike
the word, "this"; in line five, strike the
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words "section shall not authorize"; in
line 5, make the "e" for employees capital;
in line 6, strike the word "to" and insert
the words "shall not".
The amendment as thus modified would
read :
"Employees of the State of Maryland
shall not engage in any strike against the
State."
Are there any further questions of the
sponsor?
Delegate Lloyd Taylor, you have time for
one very brief question.
DELEGATE L. TAYLOR: Delegate
Malkus, do you know that state employees
are not covered by the minimum wage law
as enacted by the federal government?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Malkus.
DELEGATE MALKUS: Mr. President, I
know that but the state employees have an
organization known as the Classified State
Employees, and they have one of the finest
lobbyists and most successful lobbys in the
General Assembly of Maryland, along with
the schoolteacher's lobby.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Taylor.
Delegate Malkus, time has expired.
Does any delegate desire to speak in op-
position to the amendment?
Delegate Kiefer.
DELEGATE KIEFER: No, sir.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition ?
Delegate Scanlan.
DELEGATE SCANLAN: Again, let me
say that I am in sympathy with any amend-
ment that would make it perfectly clear
that the General Assembly of this State
retains the power to regulate strikes on the
part of public employees and indeed on the
part of publicly affected industries. The
problem that has arisen today as a result
of Amendment No. 21 is that we are em-
barked on writing a little Wagner Act and
a little Taft-Hartley Act on the floor of
this Convention. It has been a long dreary
afternoon. I think it all stems from our
initial mistake in enacting Amendment No.
21. Let me make it perfectly clear, I think
the law is well settled, that the right to
organize and bargain collectively is distinct
from, although related to, the right to strike.
The latter right has been regulated by some
states in their public employees field, New
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