Labor Union

Child Care Providers United

Website:

childcareprovidersunited.org

Location:

Sacramento, CA

Type:

Coalition of Labor Unions

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Child Care Providers United (CCPU) is a coalition of several labor unions in California that claims to represent the interest of childcare workers. It was to promote AB 378 – a California assembly bill aimed allowing the unionization of 40,000 childcare workers. Members in the coalition include SEIU Local 99SEIU Local 521, and the United Domestic Workers Alliance.

Background

Child Care Providers United is a union of childcare providers in California. The organization asserts, “We are working for child care for all and unions for all.” 1

The union is aligned with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees/United Domestic Local 3930 as well as SEIU Locals 99 and 521. 2

The union aims to negotiate a contract with the state to improve pay and benefits, boost childcare access for low income families and offer better training for health, safety and educational standards. 3

These unions were mobilizing street demonstrations in Sacramento since 2014 to push for the state to formally recognize a childcare worker union. Since that time, the union claims it raised pay rates by 20 percent through lobbying and advocacy, though without collective bargaining with the state. 4

In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB387 to authorize unions to organize daycare providers caring for children with state subsidies and to negotiate a contract with the state government. The governor also asserted the daycare workers would negotiate directly with him. The new law was set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. 5

The legislation will affect about 40,000 child care workers in the state. It applies to providers that offer care to families getting taxpayer subsidized childcare. 6 The new law also requires the state to give unions contact information for the home care workers that work with children for state taxpayer subsidies. 7

Movement for Unionization

The effort by major government worker unions to organize and collect dues from California childcare providers to unionize started in 2004. With the passage of the Child Care Providers United-backed bill in 2019, California became the 12th state to authorize child care workers to unionize at the state level as pseudo-government employees. The others are New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island. Union organizers called the California union the largest current organizing effort in the United States to move working women into unions. 8

Both of Newsom’s predecessors, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, previously vetoed similar measures. That was largely because most of those affected are home-based child care providers that technically work for themselves;9 critics have called similar unionization schemes for independent providers in Medicaid a “dues skim” designed to enrich major labor unions. 10

The union also takes credit for adding 7,000 families to have access to subsidized childcare. In 2015, working with the Service Employees International Union, it established the SEIU Early Educator Training Program and gained $5 million to boost pay for about 400 child care workers. 11

In 2016, the union also has representation on the Governor’s Statewide Advisory Council (SAC) on Early Childhood Education and Care. The union also has representation on the Speaker’s Blue Ribbon Commission.  12

References

  1. Our Mission. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/who-we-are/
  2. Fernandez, Deepa. “Child Care Providers Celebrate New Law Allowing Them to Unionize.” KCRW. September 30, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/child-care-providers-celebrate-new-law-allowing-them-to-unionize
  3. Our Mission. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/who-we-are/
  4. Achievements We’ve Made Together. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/achievements-weve-made-together/
  5. Fernandez, Deepa. “Child Care Providers Celebrate New Law Allowing Them to Unionize.” KCRW. September 30, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/child-care-providers-celebrate-new-law-allowing-them-to-unionize
  6. AP. “California to Let Child Care Workers Unionize.” Associated Press. September 30, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://apnews.com/7391b8d1e05540b58fc50722cd97ed54
  7. Cohen, Rachel. “California Allows Child Care Workers to Unionize.” American Prospect. October 4, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://prospect.org/labor/california-allows-child-care-workers-to-unionize/
  8. Cohen, Rachel. “California Allows Child Care Workers to Unionize.” American Prospect. October 4, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://prospect.org/labor/california-allows-child-care-workers-to-unionize/
  9. Fernandez, Deepa. “Child Care Providers Celebrate New Law Allowing Them to Unionize.” KCRW. September 30, 2019. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/child-care-providers-celebrate-new-law-allowing-them-to-unionize
  10. “Dues Skimming FAQs.” State Policy Network, https://spn.org/dues-skimming-faqs/.
  11. Achievements We’ve Made Together. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/achievements-weve-made-together/
  12. Achievements We’ve Made Together. Accessed November 27, 2019. https://childcareprovidersunited.org/achievements-weve-made-together/
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Child Care Providers United


Sacramento, CA