Collective Bargaining - Local Government Employees and Public Employee Relations Act

SB 976 extends Maryland's Public Employee Relations Act to cover collective bargaining for employees of counties and municipalities (local government workers), including establishing new rules for negotiations and dispute resolution. It creates a new "Public Local Employee Collective Bargaining" subtitle in state law, defining key terms like "public local employee" (excluding confidential/management staff) and requiring local governments to adopt labor relations laws. The bill mandates binding arbitration for unresolved bargaining disputes and prohibits bargaining units from mixing supervisory and non-supervisory employees. It also requires local governments to provide documentation to the Public Labor Relations Board and allows governing bodies to petition the Board for compliance reviews of local labor laws. This bill directly affects county and municipal workers in roles covered by the new framework, excluding school boards, community colleges, and public libraries.