Community Colleges - Collective Bargaining - Definition of Supervisory Employee
Summary
HB1433 amends Maryland’s Education Article provisions governing collective bargaining at community colleges by defining the term “supervisory employee” for those purposes. The bill specifies that a supervisory employee is one who has authority to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline employees; who responsibly directs employees for more than 50% of the employee’s working hours; and who addresses and resolves employee complaints.
The bill also clarifies that certain positions are not considered supervisory employees, including department heads, comparable positions, and any faculty member below the level of assistant dean. The measure is set to take effect July 1, 2026, and is intended to provide a clearer line between bargaining-unit employees and excluded supervisory personnel in community college labor relations.
Impact
HB1433 changes the statutory definition used in Maryland’s community college collective bargaining law, which will affect which employees may be included in bargaining units and which are excluded as supervisors. By narrowing and specifying the supervisory category, the bill may influence labor organization eligibility, representation disputes, and employer-employee relations at community colleges, particularly for faculty and academic administrators. It amends Section 16-701 of the Education Article and takes effect July 1, 2026.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the legislative process. It was reported favorably from committee, adopted by the House, and later passed third reading in the House by a substantial margin of 90 yeas to 31 nays. The available record suggests broad support for clarifying collective bargaining classifications, though the recorded opposition indicates some disagreement with the scope or policy effects of the definition.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the boundary between supervisory and non-supervisory employees in community colleges, especially for faculty and academic leaders. The bill expressly excludes department heads, comparable positions, and faculty below assistant dean from the supervisory definition, which may be viewed by some as protecting bargaining rights and by others as limiting managerial authority or creating ambiguity in classification. Because no committee transcript is available, the specific arguments for and against the bill are not recorded here, but the vote total shows that a meaningful minority opposed it.