'A Great Day for Providers'

PORTLAND, OREGON

Nearly 5,000 child care providers in this state are building a better future with Council 75. Because of their hard work, they won an executive order that designates AFSCME as their exclusive bargaining agent.

A Sept. 23 signing ceremony featuring Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) at a Portland union hall marked the culmination of a year-long campaign carried out under the banner "Child Care Providers Together," AFSCME's national, umbrella child care organization. Afterward, Council 75 Exec. Dir. Ken Allen (an International vice president), declared: "This is a great day for these providers across the state."

Salem child care provider Sue Mackey, who helped spearhead the effort on behalf of the state's certified and registered providers, witnessed the historic event with four of the children she cares for. "We have concerns about wages," she said. But that's not "the driving force" behind their desire for union representation: "We need a way to form a health insurance pool. We need a retirement plan. And we need to do anything we can to promote the idea that we are professionals. We are not glorified babysitters."

The providers are independent contractors who typically care for between three and 12 children in their homes. Although they are not covered by the state's collective bargaining law, this executive order gives them the right to negotiate over such issues as training and certification, reimbursement rates, payment procedures, and health and safety conditions.