Thursday, March 22, 2007
An excellant article discussing the "trend" of unionizing family child care providers.
Home-based child care providers unionizing
WASHINGTON -- A recent and growing trend to unionize home-based child care providers is proving to be a promising strategy for securing increased public investment in child care and improving working conditions for providers, according to Getting Organized: Unionizing Home-Based Child Care Providers, a report released recently by the National Women's Law Center.In just the last two years, there has been a flurry of union organizing among providers who care for children in the providers' homes. These providers are overwhelmingly women and have low earnings and few benefits, which makes them good candidates for union organizing campaigns. Getting Organized analyzes and provides detailed information about the progress of these campaigns in 11 states in which there has been the most activity.
"The findings in this report are preliminary, but confirm that there is strength in numbers," said Nancy Duff Campbell, co-president of the National Women's Law Center. "Unionization of home-based child care providers appears to be a strategy that can increase resources not only for these providers, but also for child care centers and for families needing child care assistance."
What makes this unionization movement unusual, the report explains, is that home-based child care providers are not in traditional employer-employee relationships. Most are self-employed and care for a small number of children in their own homes. This means that home-based providers are not covered by existing labor laws, and unions have had to advocate for new laws to organize these providers.
The common thread among home-based providers that have unionized or currently are pursuing authorization is that they receive a state subsidy to care for low-income children and/or are regulated by the state. It is this connection that allows the state to serve as an "employer of record" with whom a union representing providers can negotiate. This strategy is modeled after unions' successful campaigns to organize home health care workers.
Read the entire article.
I, of course, have my own opinions about unions and family child care. I'm sure that you do as well. I just hope that everyone takes the time to find out all the facts and make informed decisions regarding this union activity. Read the official position statements from the National Association of Family Child Care and the Minnesota Licensed Family Child Care Association.
