Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Mary Alice McKenzie, the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington.
As early education centers, after-school programs and home child care providers, we have dedicated our work to providing high-quality, affordable child care for Vermont families of all incomes and backgrounds. Our organizations, The YMCA, The King Street Center, The Burlington Children’s Space, Ascension Childcare Inc., The Boys & Girls Club, Thayer’s Childcare, Michelle Sheldon Registered Home Care Provider, Alisha’s ABC School, Academy Street Child Care, Carolyn’s Red Balloon Enrichment Center currently serve thousands of children in our community.
We want to draw your attention to a bill introduced in the Legislature this year that threatens our ability to continue this service to children and families.
H.97, pending in the House Human Services Committee, would mandate all early education, after school program and home child care workers to join in statewide collective bargaining as if we are public employees. For purposes of this collective bargaining all early educators in Vermont would be deemed state employees. The union would be the representative to negotiate with the state. The union would receive a portion of child care subsidies from the state.
H.97 creates serious obstacles for everyone’s goal of ensuring that all children receive the care they need to become life long learners and productive, contributing citizens of Vermont. Here’s why:
- The bill would give the state direct power over private child care and early education workers regarding health care, disability, retirement benefits; professional development and training; child-to-staff ratios; and grievance procedures. These are things that private employers should determine based on their unique design and the knowledge that their employees are the backbone of a successful endeavor. These offerings should not be dictated by a statewide public employees’ union agreement that would apply to every private organization offering early education services.
- Our organizations provide average hourly wages of between $12 and $16. With benefits, total compensation is between $18 and $20. There is no basis for forcing our private organizations to be governed by statewide collective bargaining to address wage and benefit issues.
- The Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) established by the Vermont Department for Children and Families rewards providers with increased subsidy reimbursement rates for completing training courses and implementing other quality improvements. This program incentivizes providers to have the best quality child care possible. H.97 would increase subsidies for all child care providers, regardless of program quality.
- The bill would provide state dollars directly to the union that negotiates with the state (likely the American Federation of Teachers). State money should go directly to children and child care providers to support quality outcomes for children; not to pay union dues.
- Lastly, this bill will have a chilling effect on the charitable giving that supports our early education and after school programs. Donors give money to support our programs because they want to fund programs that serve children. Donors will likely not want to support costs that are created through statewide collective bargaining. Those of us who are private charitable organizations could not maintain our services without contributions.
No state has authorized statewide collective bargaining for all child care providers. The legislation will add approximately 10,000 new public employees in Vermont. Many workers have no interest in a new arrangement. At a time when the number of public employees is being reduced and services to vulnerable groups are being cut, the notion of redistributing of resources to force others to bear the cost of a union hardly seems prudent or sustainable.
Every day we strive to provide safe, stimulating places for our children. And every day we see firsthand the challenges facing working families and child care workers. There are more effective and cost efficient solutions to the problems we face in providing quality care for all of Vermont’s kids. For example, the legislature can raise reimbursement rates through the appropriations process. H. 97, now being considered in the legislature will harm quality child care, not improve it.
