Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008

More day cares may unionize

Bill would allow workers to organize at state-backed centers

By Katya Yefimova
Herald Writer

 OLYMPIA -- Susan Torngren knows there's much more to looking after kids than feeding them and changing diapers. After 25 years as a child-care provider, she said, it still remains one of the most neglected professions.

That's why she supports a bill moving through the Legislature that would enable licensed child-care centers that take state money to care for low-income children to join unions and bargain with the state for more money.

"There's never been an opportunity for child-care workers to get a voice," Torngren said. "Nobody listens; nobody cares. Child-care workers are easily ignored and that's not right. If being in the union is the only way for us to say 'This is what we need,' then we'll do it."

Torngren owns Pacific Preschool Development Center in Lynnwood, which is licensed for 42 children, six of whom receive state subsidies.

It's common for centers to limit the number of subsidized children they take in because money that centers get from the state for these children is less than what centers charge parents who pay their own way, Torngren said.

Subsidized rates vary from region to region in the state; in Snohomish County, those rates range from $26 to $37 per day, depending on the child's age.

As a result, Torngren said, centers often are unable to provide benefits and wage improvements for their workers.

"I have lost employees and very qualified applicants because I couldn't afford to offer them health insurance," she said.

Both wages and benefits are a hot topic for child-care providers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average child-care employee in Washington earns less than $20,000, often with no health insurance.

Under the bill, child-care workers and directors would vote on whether they want to be represented by a union, either the Service Employees International Union or a separate teachers union. The union would negotiate with the state over training funds, subsidies and workers' access to benefits such as health care.

The bill has passed the House and is in a Senate committee.

The bill would affect all child-care centers with at least one child receiving state subsidies. It would apply to up to 1,300 of the roughly 2,100 centers in Washington. Chains with 10 and more centers, such as the YMCA child-care centers, would not be covered.

It's unclear how much state money the child-care workers will bargain for, but that's not the only cost associated with the bill. According to the latest estimate, the cost just to implement the system is more than $900,000 for the first year.

The money will go to the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Early Learning and the Office of Financial Management to cover the cost of negotiating and employee salaries.

The prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, said the potential cost is what makes people wary, but it's a risk worth taking.

"It could be thousands; it could be millions. We should be able to invest in our kids," he said.

Conservative critics, such as Liv Finne of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center, told the Associated Press that the legislation would make the state a bill collector for the union.

Some providers are reluctant to put their trust in a union. Edmonds child-care center owner Jeanine Jansen said she has worries. Her two Grow With Us Learning Centers serve 160 kids. About a third of them receive state subsidies.

"I'm just afraid that when centers are more regulated, there is a lot of pressure. Once the state gets control over our staff and our money, as an owner of 20 years. ... I just don't see it as a positive thing," she said.

Kim Cook, SEIU Local 925 president, said the bill would not directly increase wages, but a higher reimbursement rate from the state to day-care centers would allow them to pay their employees more.

While no owner would be forced to join a union, the legislation would still take money for union dues from the reimbursement the state pays for each child from a low-income family. That money would pay for bargaining, union officials said.

"We want to welcome everyone as members. No one has to join, but everyone will benefit from the bargaining. Why would anyone not want higher subsidy rates?" said Gretchen Donart, communications organizer for the local.

Any subsidy raise won at the bargaining table, Donart said, should cover the union fees.

With more than 1.8 million members nationwide, SEIU is the largest and fastest-growing union in the country. In Washington, Local 925 represents 22,000 workers in education, child care, government and nonprofit organizations.

Another powerful union, the American Federation of Teachers, also backs the bill, said Mary Jo Shannon, local union lead organizer.

"Early education is clearly important. It is in the first five years that we can make the most impact. We are supporting this so that children get the best and people who are doing the work get the respect they deserve."



Unionizing child-care centers

Included in a bill working its way through the Legislature:

n Child-care workers and directors at licensed centers would elect leaders in six regions of the state; they would vote on whether to join a union and which union to join. Unions would negotiate a contract with the governor.

n The contract would include subsidies for reimbursement rates, money for workers' training, development and benefits. It would not address wages or firing and hiring decisions made by individual centers.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA