17,000 Child Care Providers Vote to Join CSEA Union

Union Wins Largest Organizing Election In Its History

ALBANY, NY (02/15/2008)(readMedia)-- 17,000 childcare providers across New York State voted today to form a union and join CSEA/Child Care Providers Together – New York (CCPT-NY/CSEA). In one of the largest elections ever conducted by, the New York State Employment Relations Board 96 percent of the providers voted to join CSEA.

"Today, 17,000 day care workers in New York added their voice to the national cry for change. They said the best way for working families to bring change is to form unions," said John Sweeney, President of AFL-CIO.

Danny Donohue, CSEA Statewide President, congratulated the providers: “In joining the 7,500 licensed providers who have already joined our union, you now have the chance to change how childcare is provided in New York State.”

In the U.S., informal childcare represents half of all childcare for kids under the age of five whose parents are working.

“More than 65,000 child care providers joined AFSCME since 2005 to win rights and respect and be treated as professionals,” said Gerald W. McEntee, President of AFSCME, the largest child care union in the country representing more than 300,000 child care providers. “Today’s victory in New York is historic. This will help New York’s 17,000 child care providers deliver the best quality care and early childhood education for our kids.”

The overwhelming election victory--96 percent voting in favor of the union--means the providers have the right to negotiate with the State of New York to solve multiple challenges facing both providers and parents. Negotiations will be held with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).

For the providers, the biggest problems are more efficient delivery of county childcare funding, improving rates and on-time delivery of payments.

“We are excited to have our union so we make the changes needed to improve our work, get paid on time and care for the children,” said Sherriam McMaster of Albany, NY. McMaster has been a provider for just over a year.

Child Care Providers Together brings the total of unionized childcare providers represented by CSEA in New York to 25,000. In May of 2007, Gov. Eliot Spitzer signed and executive order granting home-based family childcare providers in New York State the right to union membership/representation. The executive order created 4 bargaining units. Units were subdivided into two in New York City and two covering the rest of the state. The teachers’ union (UFT) represents family providers in NYC.

The 2 units outside NYC are:

  • License-exempt providers outside NYC. About 17,000 providers.
  • Licensed group family and registered family providers outside NYC. About 7,500 providers.

Both are now represented by CSEA.

The organizing campaign had the support of the Rev. Jesse Jackson who helped with phone calls to the providers.

According to a recent release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union membership is seeing its biggest rise since 1983.

Consistent with this national trend, CCPT-NY/CSEA is not the first childcare union CSEA has organized. It follows in the footsteps of the recently certified VOICE (Voice of Organized Independent Child Care Educators), a bargaining unit of 7,500 registered and licensed providers outside of New York City. VOICE began negotiations with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services earlier this month.

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Please note: For further information please visit www.csealocal1000.org