MD SB976

Establishes collective bargaining rights for county and municipal government employees, allowing them to form, join, and participate in employee organizations to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions

Applies the Maryland Public Employee Relations Act to local government employers, bringing them under the jurisdiction of the Public Employee Relations Board, which must appoint a new deputy director for local government relations

Creates binding arbitration procedures for resolving impasses in negotiations, requiring arbitrators to consider comparable wages in surrounding jurisdictions and the employer's ability to pay when issuing final awards

Prohibits bargaining units from including both supervisory and nonsupervisory employees, and excludes confidential employees and management employees from collective bargaining rights

Allows counties and municipalities to petition the Board for approval of local labor relations laws, provided those laws do not weaken employee rights and include either binding arbitration or strike provisions for impasse resolution; takes effect July 1, 2025, with delayed implementation until July 1, 2026 for certain named local governments