Minnesota child-care union drive fires up the State Capitol

Star Tribune ^ | September 20, 2011 - 9:56 PM | JIM RAGSDALE

[DeaconBenjamin]

A drive to unionize thousands of in-home child-care workers in Minnesota is intensifying into a full-scale political battle between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP leaders at the Capitol.

Dayton on Tuesday sharply criticized legislators for announcing that they will hold a hearing this week on attempts by labor groups to unionize Minnesota's more than 11,000 licensed, in-home child-care providers.

Republicans say unionized day-care providers raises concerns among parents and providers and they want a thorough airing.

"The parents are unhappy, the owners of day cares are unhappy," House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, said of the possibility of unionization. "You cannot be the employer and unionize yourself." Added Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, one of the organizers of the Senate hearing: "The governor is walking a very thin line of trying to make law."

Two of the state's largest unions have been going door to door to solicit support of child-care workers and have asked Dayton to unionize the workers through executive order. Dayton has said he will not do that but supports having a vote taken among providers.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have spent years attempting to organize providers in Minnesota.

Officials of the two unions said they believe if the matter comes to a vote among providers, the decision to unionize will prevail.

"To be honest with you, we're really excited about it," said Denise Welte, organizing director of SEIU's Local 284. Jennifer Munt, spokeswoman for AFSCME, said, "Our position is, child-care providers have already voted. If the governor wants them to vote again, that's fine. We're not afraid of an election." Organizers have been collecting authorization cards from those who favor unionization since 2005.

[SaraJohnson]

If they get to unionize, this is when child abuse in this country will sky rocket. They will also have the power to get taxpayers to foot the bill because it will be too expensive for parents. Uniform leftist indoctrination will begin in infantcy.

Can you imagine self interested, Unions covering up incompetent and abusive care takers of infants and pre-schoolers? We have to stop this take over of our country or our children are going to have no future.

[From The Deer Stand]

Forcing union membership. Democrats keep inching their way into destroying American freedoms.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Two of the state's largest unions have been going door to door to solicit support of child-care workers and have asked Dayton to unionize the workers through executive order.

See what happened when we didn't give them card check to force people into unions without a secret ballot?

They're not even bothering with a ballot anymore.

Just get the executive branch to enslave them.

[Aevery_Freeman]

K-12 did not provide enough unionized teachers like me to keep the money spigot going in these tough times.

We need E-16 so thousands of early education teachers get jobs as well as thousands of professors to teach "college" courses to every child.

[srajan]

Well, government unions exist only to transfer wealth from taxpayers to public employees, and to increase employment in the public sector without providing services efficiently to taxpayers.

Their iron grip on government apparently isn’t strangling the taxpayers fast enough, so now they want more unionization. What’s next, public sector unions for all contractors with government contracts? Outrageous...