In historic vote, NYC child care providers say yes to union

American Teacher, Dec 2007/Jan 2008

Frontlines

* In the largest addition of unaffiliated workers in the history of the AFT, 28,000 New York City child care workers voted overwhelmingly in October for representation by the AFT-affiliated United Federation of Teachers.

The vote followed New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's executive order in May allowing child care providers-who are among the lowest-paid workers in the region-to form a union. The workers covered by the order are those who receive government subsidies to care for and educate children from low-income families in preschool and after-school settings.

The UFT victory capped a two-year campaign to secure a voice for home child care providers, says UFT president and AFT vice president Randi Weingarten, adding that they "share a bond with teachers in that they help educate and care for thousands of our city's youngest children."

The organizing campaign was a joint project of the UFT and the community group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which together collected more than 12,000 signatures from daycare providers in support of a union election.

The UFT and ACORN "have blazed a trail for a new form of community-focused union organizing that recognizes child care workers' right to fair wages, children's right to the best early learning experiences possible, and parents' right to affordable and readily available highquality care," says AFT secretary treasurer Nat LaCour.

The vote represents a huge step forward for the AFT effort to organize early childhood educators and child care providers. The child care workers will be represented in contract talks by the UFT, which represents the city's 110,000 public school educators.