Childcare providers fight for union rights
By
Alex Gould
Providence, R.I.
Published Jul 2, 2005 8:49 AM
On June 22, Rhode
Island Gov. Donald Carcieri vetoed the Family Childcare Pro viders Business
Opportunity Act of 2005. The act would have allowed the state’s 1,300
licensed and hundreds of other unlicensed home-based day-care providers, members
of the union Service Employees 1199, to bargain collectively with the state for
wages and benefits.
As wages fall behind inflation for most workers, and
welfare payments are eliminated, home-based day-care workers have become
essential for working parents in Rhode Island. While the state subsidizes
day-care fees for 13,000 parents, these subsidies are being cut to pay for tax
cuts for the richest Rhode Islanders.
Day-care workers are poorly
compensated for their central role in the state’s economy. The Day Care
Justice Co-Op, an organization of day-care workers that preceded the union
drive, found that after deducting the cost of children’s toys, books,
food, safety equipment and sometimes assistants, the day-care workers, mostly
Black and Latina women, ended up with a wage of only $2.76 per hour.
The
workers have organized to demand justice for themselves and the children they
care for. They signed union cards. In May 2004 they marched through the streets
of Providence and held rallies at the state legislature.
Grace Diaz, a
home day-care provider and member of Service Employees 1199, was elected to the
Rhode Island House of Representatives as a Democrat with support from her
union.
They have stood up to the viciously anti-union and sexist
Providence Journal, speaking out in letters to the editor and opinion columns.
The Journal ran an anti-union editorial on June 11 headlined “Spank the
Babysitters Union.” And the newspaper is campaigning to uphold the
governor’s veto.
The day-care workers have shown that even the most
oppressed workers can organ ize, on the job and politically. But their struggle
has not yet overcome the anti-union Democrats and Republicans who control the
state’s political forums.
At first the day-care providers’
goal was to be declared state employees, thus able to collectively bargain with
the state under existing law. Since the state regulates their hours, issues
certifications, and sets work rules for the home day-care providers, this was
more than reasonable. But against opposi tion from the Democratic-led state
legislature and the governor, the union decided to back the “Business
Opportunity Act.”
That left the day-care workers with the misleading
title of “independent contractors,” but allowed the union to bargain
on their behalf.
In backing the bill the union, which has marketed its
campaign as “kids come first,” gave up the right to strike or take
any kind of job action. This concession will weaken the child-care workers at
the bargaining table. The union has stressed that the legislation will keep
parents off welfare and will not create any state employees.
Even with
this concession, the Demo crat-controlled state legislature barely mustered
enough votes to override Car cieri’s veto. The bill passed 23 to 13 in the
Senate, and 41 to 27 in the House. In the House, 11 Democrats voted against the
bill. In the Senate, eight Democrats voted against the bill.
Child-care
workers are hoping that no more will waver, because a three-fifths majority vote
is needed to override the governor’s veto.
Even if the veto is
overridden in the state legislature, the child-care workers face a long struggle
for decent wages and benefits. They deserve the support of the entire state
AFL-CIO, which should refuse to adapt itself to the right wing, anti-union
demonization of state employees and welfare recipients. Solidarity, not
preemptive compromise, will be the key to victory.
And if day-care workers
have the determination and ability to get elected to state office, why not build
a party that doesn’t hesitate to fight for the rights of workers and their
unions? Workers and oppressed people need a party of their own, one that
won’t take away the right to strike while recognizing the right to
bargain.
Victory to the child-care workers!
Alex Gould is a
member of Food and Commercial Workers Local 328.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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