Impasse

A six-month impasse between the Board of Education and the Howard County Education Association the largest union in the school system, will now be determined by the Maryland Public School Labor Relations Board (MPSLRB). It is important for the reader to understand that the MPSLRB was established by Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Democrat-led General Assembly in 2010 to settle disputes between local school boards and unions. The MPSLRB consists of five members appointed by the governor with Senate consent.

Maryland's pit bulls remained in peril Wednesday as two legislators clashed over a lingering House-Senate impasse on a bill that would invalidate a court decision labeling the bill as inherently dangerous. Del. Luiz R. S. Simmons took advantage of a House hearing on the Senate version of the bill to fire question after question at Sen. Brian E. Frosh, chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, over changes that panel made to a compromise the two Montgomery County Democrats struck early in this year's session.

Is the tea party, as you suggest, holding House Speaker John Boehner hostage ("Senate OKs bill to avert shutdown," Sept. 27)? If so, you should also point out who is holding the Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hostage. Last time I checked, it takes two sides to agree. If the tea party is preventing Mr. Boehner from agreeing to Mr. Reid's terms, then who is preventing Mr. Reid from agreeing to Mr. Boehner's terms? Whoever that person is, they're every bit as responsible for the impasse.

Second of three articles about state ballot questions Ambrose "Bo" Vogt, a union construction worker from Pasadena, believes the effort to expand gambling in Maryland would create jobs in a field in which work has been scarce. But Tamara Davis Brown, an attorney in Clinton, thinks legalizing table games and allowing a casino in Prince George's would tarnish the image and economic future of the county she has called home since 1988. Both are firmly committed - Vogt to supporting Question 7 and Brown to opposing it. The referendum campaign has been dominated by the lavish spending of rival casino giants on slick advertising spots, but for some voters, the issue is deeply felt and intensely personal.

Once more the abortion issue has reached an impasse of confusion. First the executive branch issues regulations which in effect impose an abortion-counseling gag rule on public health clinics. Congress responds by passing a bill, by substantial majorities in both houses, overturning the gag rule. President Bush responds by vetoing the legislation. Congress fails, by 12 votes, to override the veto. Meanwhile states from Maryland on the East Coast to Washington on the West Coast are embroiled in rancorous controversy over state policy with regard to abortion.

The Anne Arundel County Council on Monday night failed to break an impasse over two finalists for a vacancy on the council and delayed a new vote for another two weeks. The deadlock has brought the council widespread criticism. After voting four times and remaining split 3-3 along partisan lines between candidates Peter I. Smith and Michael J. Wagner, the council voted unanimously to postpone another vote. "I'm somewhat disappointed that we find ourselves in the same situation," said Councilman Chris Trumbauer, an Annapolis Democrat, who proposed the delay.

Maryland school Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick has declared an impasse in negotiations between the Anne Arundel County school board and the teachers union, and directed them to hire an arbitrator.The initial request for a formal declaration of impasse came two weeks ago from the union, which accused the school board of going "beyond union-busting."Among the issues in dispute are a cost-of-living raise; a longer workweek and year; procedures used in assigning, transferring, evaluating and rating teachers; the teachers' right to participate in writing new curricula; and selection of health-care plans.

The school board and the Carroll Association of School Employees came to an impasse in their contract talks yesterday, after several mostly contentious meetings since last month."

The Howard County Board of Education and county teachers may be headed toward an impasse in this year's salary negotiations, according to a bulletin distributed to Howard County Education Association (HCEA) members this week. Association officials and Superintendent John R. O'Rourke refused to comment about the possibility of an impasse, saying the negotiation process is confidential. But an association flier obtained by The Sun yesterday warned members that "despite numerous counterproposals by [association leaders]

The Teachers Association of Baltimore County and the school board haven't budged for weeks on the only contract issue that separates them. But that did not convince State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick that the two sides are at impasse.Basing her decision on technical details of how the school budget is administered, she denied TABCO's request for impasse yesterday, nearly six weeks after the union said the two sides could not agree on a pay raise.Her ruling will make it virtually impossible for an arbitrator to examine the issues and make recommendations for a settlement, as TABCO asked.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller sent out a letter this week to the 46 other members of the chamber saying that there has been "tremendous misinformation" circulating about the final day of session and insisting that he did not hold up the state's budget over a bill to expand gambling. "It has been alleged that the impasse was somehow connected to gaming," Miller wrote. "That is patently untrue. " The tone is different from the one Miller took the day after session ended.

After four tough years, these are heady days in the world of Maryland TV and film production. Last month, "Game Change," the Baltimore-made HBO docudrama on the 2008 presidential election, premiered to strong reviews and even stronger debate. This week, "House of Cards," the $100 million Netflix political drama starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, starts filming after three months and millions of dollars spent in pre-production on sets in Harford County and Baltimore. And next Sunday, "VEEP," starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and filmed in Columbia, debuts on HBO. But all the jobs, money and excitement that Hollywood has brought to Maryland during the last year in could soon disappear amid all the finger-pointing and blame-gaming over the budget impasse in Annapolis.

Local government and university leaders are struggling to craft spending plans amid uncertainty over the state budget — and how a package of threatened cuts might affect schools, roads, public safety and other basic services. Officials throughout Maryland are pressing lawmakers to return to Annapolis and settle budget business left unfinished when the General Assembly session ended this week. The failure to come to an agreement by Monday's deadline raised the specter of more than $500 million in reductions, much of it in local aid. "Everybody is still in shock," said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the state university system, which would stand to lose up to $50 million — a reduction that he said could lead to a sharp tuition hike.

Anne Arundel County Council members on Monday night appointed Marine Reservist Peter I. Smith to a vacant seat on the council, ending a weeks-long impasse that drew fierce criticism from residents. Councilman Richard B. "Dick" Ladd, a Severna Park Republican, broke the deadlock, switching to pick Smith in the 108th round of voting. The council voted 4 to 2 for Smith. "It is with some trepidation that I will change my vote for Mr. Smith," said Ladd, before casting his vote.

The Anne Arundel County Council on Monday night failed to break an impasse over two finalists for a vacancy on the council and delayed a new vote for another two weeks. The deadlock has brought the council widespread criticism. After voting four times and remaining split 3-3 along partisan lines between candidates Peter I. Smith and Michael J. Wagner, the council voted unanimously to postpone another vote. "I'm somewhat disappointed that we find ourselves in the same situation," said Councilman Chris Trumbauer, an Annapolis Democrat, who proposed the delay.

Members of the Anne Arundel County Council said Tuesday that they see no end in sight to an impasse over the selection of a new colleague, as they remained deadlocked through a second round of voting on a replacement for the incarcerated Daryl D. Jones. Supporters of one of the candidates, Peter I. Smith, accused County Executive John R. Leopold's administration of working behind the scenes for rival Michael J. Wagner, a longtime friend of a Leopold aide who died this month. Wagner, a former state senator, said he was encouraged to apply for the vacant District 1 seat by Dennis M. Callahan, who was the county's chief administrative officer until his death Feb. 8 from a heart attack.

Deriding Anne Arundel County school officials for wanting to "throw pennies at us," the union that represents county school teachers has asked state officials to declare an impasse in contract negotiations and bring in an arbitrator.Six months of talks ended Tuesday night, as the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County and school officials failed to agree on 20 issues, the most substantial of which was a raise."They weren't even offering [a 2 percent pay increase]. That was a real slap in the face," TAAAC President John R. Kurpjuweit said, noting that the cost of living has risen about 5 percent since members of TAAAC, the largest of the four county school system unions, got a raise two years ago.He would not say how much the union was seeking, but he said that "losing money was particularly hard to take."

Less than two weeks before the start of school, Carroll teachers ended an impasse with the school board by approving, 511-347, a new contract for the coming year."

Is the tea party, as you suggest, holding House Speaker John Boehner hostage ("Senate OKs bill to avert shutdown," Sept. 27)? If so, you should also point out who is holding the Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hostage. Last time I checked, it takes two sides to agree. If the tea party is preventing Mr. Boehner from agreeing to Mr. Reid's terms, then who is preventing Mr. Reid from agreeing to Mr. Boehner's terms? Whoever that person is, they're every bit as responsible for the impasse.