VT House Approves Right to Organize

[Chris Santee]

Vermont House Approves the Right to Organize for Vermont's Early Educators
MONTPELIER, VT -- The Vermont House today gave preliminary approval to S.316, a bill offering Vermont's Early Educators the right to organize and collectively bargain with the state. With a final vote of 70-64 the House has passed a bill that has been four years in the making.
 
The bill survived a motion to send it back to the Appropriations Committee for further consideration during debate on the floor. That motion failed with a vote of 55-81, and so debate continued for another few hours.
 
Kay Curtis of Happy Hands--a School for Little People, celebrated, saying, "Early care and education providers across Vermont and the families they serve are elated that the right to organize has been given this first round of approval by the House. We want to make sure that working families have the support they need and that Vermont has the best early education system in the country. We thank the Representatives for their support."

The House General, Housing and Military Affairs committee chose to accept the Senate version of the bill and to recommend to the full House of Representatives to approve the bill so that it could go straight to the governor's desk, once it is approved at third reading. Governor Shumlin and his administration have shown support for the bill throughout the year.

Stephanie Wheelock, Play 2 Learn Child Care in Rutland, who was listening to the debate online, enthused, "I so appreciate the House members who have shown support for our basic right to come together and organize. I am proud to be working with my fellow providers to improve quality for the children we serve and to ensure that we are paid fairly for the important work we do every day."

Heather Riemer, campaign manager with Vermont Early Educators United AFT Vermont, celebrated with providers who she has been working with, saying, "This victory has been four years in the making, and I am so proud of all of the early educators who have worked so hard to let legislators know how important this basic right to organize is for all of them and for the families they serve."

The bill is expected to move to the Governor's desk soon.

##
 
The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do. In Vermont, American Federation of Teachers represents professionals in health care and higher education, and hopefully soon in early education. http://www.kidscountonme.org/
 

[ohhman]

FYI....not all childcare providers are happy with this! Obviously this article was written by those who support it, and MANY Fairfax providers join with other providers across our state who are NOT excited for this to have passed.  The union will milk our taxes dry as they have said they will bargain to get more money for subsidy families:  WHERE is this money coming from...our taxes that are already so strapped?  They said they will be a voice for us at the bargaining table: WE have always had our own INDEPENDENT voice over the years; we can pick up the phone & call & get the help we need HOWEVER NOW that changes & if this becomes a reality, we have to go through a union rep.  Do you know that the money that is charged for dues, whether you wish to be part of the union or not as they require their "agency fees/fair share dues" will come directly from the subsidy payment for the family receiving to the childcare provider? This amount can be upwards to 1k!  How will the families make up that difference or how will the providers make up this difference?   If we chose NOT to join the union or if we do not have subsidy families in our care, we do NOT get a vote. Many, myself included, will no longer accept subsidy families as we have in the past, as that is the way they will get their money to keep a union going. We have opposed this union from the beginning, when out of state union reps came knocking on our doors, having some agree to a postcard which they were told would get them more information & keep them informed, yet these cards were used wrongly to say they were all in support of a union!  They showed up at our doors, all hours of the day, called us all hours into the LATE evenings, totally disregarded our requests to stop calling/mailing/visiting us, & last session in Montpelier when they were defeated, said they would come back this year & would NOT play nice & that is what they did.  They wined & dined to get it through; they PAID providers to show up in Montpelier in show of support while those of us opposed were back in our homes caring for the children, making calls, writing letters. I guess what many do NOT realize is we are our own, independent small business owners, who set our own rates, make our own rules/guidelines in accordance with the state regulations & NONE of this will change ~ except for now many will no longer accept subsidy families, many may go "underground" and NOT be state registered, so there may be more cases of child neglect that go undetected & children in homes where there maybe child offenders living. 

[kpplus2]

This is not a good thing. When is it going to end, 2% increase in the school budget, child care unions costing tax payers up to 2 million, GMO food labeling costing us even more at the grocery store and a law suit that we will pay for, fuel prices at close to $4 per gallon. Time to vote for our families and wallets. The governor needs to go and we need real conservative candidates with common sense and a balance. This socialist train is going a 100 mph driving us right to the soup kitchen.

[Barbara]

I called our representatives and requested they vote against this bill on behalf of my sister-in-law.  She has been providing child care for many years and was adamant this bill was not only unnecessary but damaging to her business.  She is not a resident of Franklin County so is not speaking of our reps when she speaks of the elections. I am posting her words here: 

"It's a very sad day when the legislative branch of the Vermont government decides it is acceptable to force self-employed Day Care owners to join a union that does not look out for the owners but for the families coming into the daycare. Sadly, I will be forced to stop accepting families who are subsidized by the state because I will refuse to pay dues to a union who I have no desire to join. This union will be taking dues out of the subsidy money paid to daycares...does that sound like a good idea to anyone else? I am disgusted with the representation for my county and will absolutely not vote for them during the next election."

[mkr]

This is just awful.... I am so sorry for all my friends in the daycare field and I understand that may will no longer take subsidized children because of the additional cost and control that will happen. 

The legislative branch apparently does not listen to the majority at all.

Thank you to those who did vote against it.

[Stand Alone Defense]

I fail to even understand the purpose of the bill!! It has been voted down twice in the last year and then gets slid through on the 3rd try...

It seems to me that it is a legal form of extortion and nothing more!!

Forcing people to pay you a fee for "Protection" does not sit well with me.  If you are going to be registered with the state and subject to rules and random inspections, you will have no choice but to pay money to the union.  All this bill is going to do is force people to stop registering their daycares because they don't want to pay union dues.  How does forcing people to go "underground" and discontinue registering their daycare help our children?!

I'm lucky to have a great provider that I trust, I know without state inspection I still have nothing to worry about.  I grew up here and have known my provider all my life though, that is not a luxury that most people have.  I would think that any advocate for our children would want safe, registered, and inspected daycares for all children in Vermont.  They would not sponsor a bill that decreases the number of safe, registered and inspected daycares across the state.  Pretty obvious that our elected officials at the state level are not much different then the ones on the national level (in general not Franklin counties officials).  They vote with the thought of money on their minds not the well being of the people who put them there.     

[tfence]

Now. The constitution is being stepped on. They have now taken our freedom of speech away with their exclusive representation relating to subsidy payments. How is this happening and they are getting away with it?

[johnmitchell]

In reading your posts I fully agree with most.  As the State Representative of Fairfax I voted against this issue several times.  In my opinion there is a use and place for unions in our society but NOT in the arena of small business, which is what most child care facilities are.  Emerson Lynn had a good editorial in Tuesday's Messenger relating directly to this.  The only way change can be made is to vote and talk with your friends in other towns that have representation that supports this type of legislation.  Obviously those of us who are moderate and in my opinion, logical  are very much in the minority in Montpelier.  By the way I will not be seeking another term.  Thanks for your support.  John Mitchell

[ohhman]

We providers thank you for your vote John! It's a sad day to have this happen, for sure.  Hope people read the article in VT.Digger to see how much it cost our state when they let the union come in for health care workers...yet they are a different business than us; the future is very uncertain here for sure.  John, we thank you for your honesty & integrity & for trying to share common sense on this issue; even surrounding neighbors, (St.Albans & Westford) did not, though in one case she emailed me she had said No on Monday to the s.316.    Well, today is Daycare Appreciation day in Vt., so if you have a provider, make sure you thank them, not just today but every day as they care for the loves of your lives.  I got the most awesome compliment above as well as a note in a journal; I am very thankful for them!  Also, thanks to all the Fairfax & Fletcher providers! You are all awesome!

[Chris Santee]

Rob Roper has a nice piece on this:

http://ethanallen.org/commentary-robbing-the-poor-to-give-to-the-powerful/

[kevin]

FYI - Senators McAllister and Collins both voted in favor of this bill.

[ohhman]

Yes, Sen. Collins assured us he would vote against this BUT he chose to vote FOR it instead!  He told me he worked hard in changing language in the bill with another senator from Cambridge/Waterville, trying to make himself look good, until I let him know that senator was PRO union...... hmmm, suddenly our phone conversation had to end as he became very busy. 

[tfence]

First I want to say thank you to Rep. John Mitchel for his never changing support.
Unlike our two senators, who swore to me (face to face) they were against this bill up until recently by my surprise. I still cant get my head around why they are for this bill. It will not benefit the childcare industry in any way. It will do more harm than good. It is taking money to support the unions on the back of the parents directly and through increased taxes. The only thing they claim they will be able to do as a collective bargainer is to negotiate with the state for more subsidy $'s. If they accomplish this all it will do is fill their pockets with the dues. They really have no control over this (no guarantee). The appropriations committee control how things are divided up. If they can't raise the subsidy rates they will still charge their dues and fair share fees. Guess what, business 101, this will be put onto the working non subsidy parents. So, it looks like the good old boy club prevails again. The politicians would not want to loose their political funding for doing the right thing, now would they. I might add that this unions political funds come from none other than working parents and tax payers from other states they have already high jacked. I want to close saying I am not against unions in what they are designed to do between an employer and employee. This is not that. This is a group of independent business owners. It is just a money grab type of union tactic. Even you diehard union people should put a stop to this. It is making all unions look bad in the publics eyes. This is not a brotherhood going on here it is just a money grab.

[tfence]

There is some conflicting information on here. Could someone help me find out the truth.  Did senator Norm McAllister vote yes or no. This website says he voted no to unionizing childcare. http://ethanallen.org/roll-call-senate-passes-childcare-unionization-bill/

[johnmitchell]

Tom
  I think the confusion lies in the fact that Sen. McAllister had voted earlier in favor of an amendment that would have changed the bill.  However, he was never in favor of unionization in this arena and voted NO on the bill.  If you are confused at all just give him a call.  he is very accessible and represents many of us well.  John Mitchell