WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor
Ch. 733
CHAPTER 733
(House Bill 1033)
AN ACT concerning
Public Safety Officers—Employment Rights
Local Government - Collective Bargaining
FOR the purpose of providing that certain fire and rescue employees employed by certain
governmental units may negotiate, through an exclusive representative, with the
governmental unit concerning terms and conditions of employment; prohibiting
strikes by employees who are covered by this Act; providing for the election of an
exclusive representative; requiring an employer and the exclusive representative to
make every reasonable effort to settle disputes; providing for mediation and
fact finding under certain circumstances; providing for the effect of an agreement;
defining certain terms; and generally relating to negotiations for certain fire and
rescue employees authorizing charter counties and municipal corporations that
engage in certain collective bargaining before specified dates to enact a certain law
or ordinance relating to collective bargaining; allowing collective bargaining to
include a certain memorandum of understanding; requiring that the memorandum
binds the employer under certain circumstances for a certain period; providing for
the applicability of this Act; providing for the construction of this Act; defining
certain terms; and generally relating to collective bargaining between certain local
government employers and certain fire, emergency medical service, paramedic, and
rescue employees,
BY adding to
Article - Labor and Employment
Section 4-501 through 4-510 4-505, inclusive, to be under the new subtitle
"Subtitle 5. Employment Rights for Public Safety Officers"
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1991 Volume and 1993 Supplement)
Preamble
WHEREAS,—Public safety officers provide services that arc essential to the health
and safety of the people of Maryland; and
WHEREAS,—It is important that these essential services not be interrupted due to
a dispute regarding the terms and conditions of employment of public safety officers; and
WHEREAS,—It is important that a mechanism bo established for resolving
disputes regarding the terms and conditions of employment of public safety officers; and
WHEREAS,—It is important that any mechanism established for resolving disputes
regarding the terms and conditions of employment of public safety officers provide equal
and fair consideration to the interests of each party involved; now, therefore,
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