Unionizing Daycare??

[GretasLittleFriends]

Have any of you heard about this?

http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com...-unionization/

I was notified by another dc provider kind of near my area. She went on to say that if this passes, providers won't be allowed to take county/state subsidy children or be on the food program unless they're in the union.

Not sure how accurate this is. Its 3:40a, and I'm half asleep waiting for a dc girl to show up...

[melskids]

i'm in NY and yes, i have heard they are doing this. we are having a informational meeting / training on it soon... i did hear that it is going to raise our ratios by one child, so thats cool, and something about offering health insurance...but other than that, i dont know much about it yet. so i dont know if its gonna be a good thing or not.....

[TGT09]

I'm in Ohio and I have heard this as well. I do not take state children so it won't affect me but I did hear it.

[GretasLittleFriends]

I don't understand how we, as home daycare providers, can be forced into a union. We're independent contractors. Union members can and do strike. How do home daycare providers strike without doing time? When independent businesses group together and begin price fixing and market coercion and doing things like striking, the end up doing prison time because it's against federal law.

I don't like the way this sounds... It will affect me as I live in a very low income area and over half of my parents are on county subsidy.

[Childminder]

In Michigan we are forced to pay 1.15% of our state subsidy automatically to a union. It went in to effect Jan 09 and we did not get a vote, we just are a part of this union. UAW-Child Care Providers Together Unite. Local 7127.

[jen]

OMG... I am NOT going to be a happy camper if this happens. I don't have any subsidized children but there is no way that this is in any way constitutional. And, in my area, most providers won't take subsidy kids anyway...if they do this, low income people around here will NEVER be able to find a licensed provider willing to take them.

[GretasLittleFriends]

In Michigan we are forced to pay 1.15% of our state subsidy automatically to a union. It went in to effect Jan 09 and we did not get a vote, we just are a part of this union. UAW-Child Care Providers Together Unite. Local 7127.

So, what do you get out of it? What does the union do for you? How does it benefit you?

[MN Mom]

Wow...just wow...

This blows my mind away! I'm not licensed, nor am I going to be doing care for more than my 1 family...but I feel for you guys.

Politics today are just crazy. I don't think its constitutional either, but a lot of things have happened in recent years / months that don't seem very constitutional.

I'm off today, so back to my book! (1984, by George Orwell--very good if you like books that raise questions on politics and policy)

[momofsix]

In Michigan we are forced to pay 1.15% of our state subsidy automatically to a union. It went in to effect Jan 09 and we did not get a vote, we just are a part of this union. UAW-Child Care Providers Together Unite. Local 7127.

I no longer have state subsidy, but I do remember that when it went into effect they did send a paper I could have filled out to opt out of the union. Not sure if that was a one time deal or not. Supposedly they fight for higher wages, health insurance...but I nevere saw anything actually happen yet.

[Childminder]

So, what do you get out of it? What does the union do for you? How does it benefit you?

Supposedly they got us a raise in subsidy. It did go up a few cents but I have been going to figure it out because I think I pay more out in union dues than I got in raise. It's supposed to pay for collective bargaining and representation in negotiating contracts, blah, blah, blah.

[Childminder]

I no longer have state subsidy, but I do remember that when it went into effect they did send a paper I could have filled out to opt out of the union. Not sure if that was a one time deal or not. Supposedly they fight for higher wages, health insurance...but I nevere saw anything actually happen yet.

It gave us an opt out for the automatic 1.15% but if you signified that you objected you then paid a service fee equal to 77.42% of Union dues or service fees. Being as I'm not a lawyer and do not understand most of the legaleeze and spend my time taking care of children I'm sure either way I'm being screwed.

Right now I don't have any state children so I don't pay.

[booroo]

WOW!! This is a big brother take over, BIG TIME.......Talk about socializm going into play. This is no way a good thing for any self employeed business owner, its scary to think that the State government is forcing these busineses to be in the union.
I truely hope that the appeal goes through, because there is no way this is legal, NO WAY!!!

[grandmom]

Washington State: We are not required to be members unless we take subsidy kids. Dues of not more than $50 per month come out of the state subsidy check.

Why we went to unions? Because the state was writing more and more invasive laws about what we could and couldn't do, like that they could "inspect" any part of our home. There was even talk of not allowing us a Christmas Tree in our home - because of the fire hazard. It was awful what they were trying to impose. They were not taking into account any of our requests. It was very one-sided.

Now, I've NEVER beleived in the union philosophies. And I'm way too conservative to support a lot of their ideas. But I was willing to join simply to make a statement to the state that they had crossed a line. Six years later the state is currently re-writing all the regulations again, and guess who's at the table? The union of course, but also providers, parents, and other stakeholders. The draft of the new regs looks very acceptable. Finally the state was put in a position of hearing us.

[Chickenhauler]

To call an independent business such as a daycare owner/operator a "union member" is in itself a crime.

It falls under the RICO Act due to it's price fixing/gouging, monopolistic control of the marketplace, and is punishable by $20k in fines and up to 25 years in prison per count.

Many RICO classified offenses apply here-extortion, bribery (if you wanna work, you gotta pay the thugs first) along with embezzlement of union funds (been a union member once upon a time, I can tell you they're all corrupt).

The union lying to you and saying that they bring the power of collective bargaining to the table is just that, a lie. The power of collective bargaining lies in the possibility of a workforce walkout/strike. As independent business persons, daycare providers cannot do this, it's called extortion. If you don't believe that, ask the air traffic controllers what Reagan did to them.

If you come in contact with a union salesman (that's what they are, they're trying to get you to buy into their product), ask them the hard questions....what are your strike benefits?
What kind of insurance is available?
What kind of pension plan do you have in place?
What is the paid holidays, and where does that pay come from?
What professional training programs do they have in place?
Will union representation be present at any and all disciplinary hearings and actions, and fight upon your behalf?
Will the union now become the go-between for provider and administrative authority when it comes to filing greivances?

If they answer NO or stammer to any of these questions, that says they're not looking out for you, but looking for a cash influx.


I see why the unions in MI pushed for this....they're now saddled with the retiree costs (UAW) and coupled with decreasing memberships (plant closings and cutbacks in production) they have to get their money from somewhere, so they're gonna steal it from you.

[boysx5]

I would be for a union if it helped us providers that were having issues and to make the regs eaiser seems to me the person who comes up with some of these have never had children or have done our job. I would be willing to pay a fee each year if I had someone to back me up. I feel that sometimes everyone thinks we sit around all day and do nothing.