In a petition posted online late Tuesday afternoon, Vermont Early Educators United AFT, representing child-care workers and small business owners, urged Sen. Bill Doyle to reconsider his unexpected vote last week, which effectively killed unionization legislation.
The open letter to Doyle, a Washington County Republican, reads:
“We trusted you to do the right thing for early educators by voting to allow them the right to stand together for Vermont’s children and families. Instead, you turned your back on the hardworking early educators of this state, mostly-women, who are entrusted with caring for and educating our young children every day.
“As a professor, you were given the right to organize a union by the legislature. We ask that you reconsider your position, and support the same right for early educators.”
Doyle welcomed the petition and noted his own “excellent union record,” but wouldn’t say that he’d definitely reconsider his crucial vote. But he also wouldn’t rule out changing his mind on the topic.
“I’m willing to be involved in a conversation with people I respect, and I receive petitions with great respect,” Doyle told VTDigger. He plans to meet with child-care workers in coming weeks, to see if new information or conversations could sway his thinking.
He reiterated, though, that he voted against the long-standing legislation because many child-care workers are small business owners, not employees, and because many child-care workers who don’t receive state subsidies won’t vote on whether to form a union.
“About a week before the committee voted on the bill, it appeared that the only people who could vote for the union were those child-care people who were involved in state subsidies,” said Doyle. “I feel that all the child-care providers, whether subsidized or not, should have the right to vote [on whether to unionize].”
He pointed out that at a February public hearing, about half of the 150 attendees opposed unionization, and said they’d be barred from voting, according to the new legislation.
The topic can stir up biting comments. On the Facebook wall of Angela Timpone, a United Professions AFT Vermont organizer, Facebook user Steven Cliche commented after Timpone’s post about the petition, apparently referring to child-care unions: “I guess they didn’t have that sort of thing when Bill was growing up in the 1830’s.”
In the other body of the Legislature, House Republican Minority Leader Don Turner, R-Milton, also told fellow Republicans at their caucus last Tuesday to thank Doyle if they saw him, for his no vote.
““We all know that’s just a short-term death – it’ll be back – but it at least sends a message that there is not as much support as people may think for it. So if you see Bill Doyle, please thank him,” said Turner.
Child-care unionization has also stirred up accusations of broken promises. Ben Johnson, Vermont president of the teachers union the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), told VTDigger that he’d been promised a vote on the Senate floor, no matter the bill’s committee fate, by Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell.
“Early in the session he gave us his word that our bill, among other hot button issues last year, that this bill would come to the floor,” said Johnson.
Campbell denies making that promise, saying he’d only made an exception for controversial death with dignity legislation in mid-February.
He also said some supporters of unionization hadn’t made their case smartly. “They had some not very smart comments accusing the chair of killing the bill,” said Campbell. “Mullin spent six weeks reviewing the bill and they were given every opportunity to be heard.”
Senate Secretary John Bloomer told VTDigger that the committee could reconsider their 3-2 vote any time, since there are few hard-and-fast formal rules governing committee procedure.
Anne Galloway contributed reporting.
