The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 887 Establishes Collective Bargaining and Heat Protection Rules for Greenhouse Workers
Last action · February 12, 2026: Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.Sponsors: Clarence Lam and 1 other
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Maryland Senate Bill 887 establishes collective bargaining rights for employees at s and requires employers to provide paid rest breaks when indoor levels reach at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit, effective October 1, 2026.
Greenhouse and controlled-environment agricultural workers gain legal rights to form unions, negotiate employment terms, and receive mandatory paid rest breaks during high heat conditions, while employers face new bargaining mandates and operating regulations.
- Maryland previously enacted general heat-related illness protection standards under Maryland Occupational Safety and Health regulations for employers by October 1, 2022. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Employees of controlled-environment agricultural operations
Workers gain statutory rights to form employee organizations, engage in collective bargaining, and receive mandatory paid rest breaks during high heat conditions.
Employers of controlled-environment agricultural operations
Employers must engage in good-faith collective bargaining, refrain from interfering with employee rights, and provide paid rest breaks when indoor temperatures reach specific heat index thresholds.
Key Facts
- Establishes collective bargaining rights for employees working in controlled-environment agricultural operations such as greenhouses.
- Requires employers to provide paid rest breaks of at least 5 minutes per hour when the indoor heat index reaches or maintains at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mandates that rest breaks be compensated as working time at the employee's regular rate of pay unless coinciding with an unpaid meal period.
- Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to adopt regulations for bargaining units, showing of interest verification, secret ballot elections, certification, and impasse resolution.
Show all 8 facts
- Prohibits employers from assessing monetary penalties under the Secretary's enforcement authority for labor disputes.
- Requires the Secretary of Labor to investigate alleged violations and take appropriate enforcement actions consistent with labor disputes involving governmental units.
- Prohibits employers from interfering with, intimidating, restraining, or coercing employees exercising their collective bargaining rights.
- Sets the effective date of the Act as October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies as an employee under this bill?
When are employers required to give workers heat rest breaks?
Can the Secretary of Labor assess financial fines for violations?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 12, 2026SenateHearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Finance
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Collective Bargaining to Greenhouse Workers
The bill introduces formal unionization and collective bargaining procedures tailored specifically to indoor agricultural operations.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools