Who will be covered by the bill?
All child care centers in Washington state with at least one child receiving state subsidies. Chains with ten or more centers are not included. There are a few other technical exceptions as well.)
What will center workers bargain over?
Child care center teachers and directors will bargain over the things that the state has control over, primarily: subsidy rates, training and professional development funding, and mechanisms for access to group benefits, such as health care.
How is this different from a traditional union model?
Traditional union bargaining is between employees and employers over wages and working conditions. Under this approach, all center employees (including directors) have a chance to vote to create a bargaining unit for teachers and directors togethe, to negotiate with the state for increased resources.
What if my center can’t afford to pay higher wages?
This bill does not mandate wage increases, changes in benefits, or a pay scale. It is about getting more resources from the state into child care centers, so that centers can use those additional resources as they are needed to improve the quality of care.
What if center workers want to be represented by a union in a traditional way—with a grievance procedure, bargaining over hours and wages, etc.?
Center employees will still have the right to elect a union to represent them in the traditional way; however they would need to elect a union other than the one that represents them with the state to bargain a traditional contract.
Is this forced unionization?
No; the process is entirely democratic. First, if the bill passes, workers at all centers covered by the bill will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want union representation. The vote will be in each of the 6 DSHS regions. Then, if the centers in a region do vote for representation, they will have the opportunity to vote on the first and all successive contracts. Finally, every individual will have a choice on whether to become a member of the union that represents them.
How will dues work?
Centers covered by a contract pay a small representation fee, deducted from subsidy checks out of any new rate increases we win at the bargaining table. The amount of this fee would be established by child care center leaders within the union they choose, then would be voted on by the membership as part of the first contract. That way, center workers can weigh the gains of the contract alongside the cost of union representation.
Will all center employees have to pay dues?
Individual center employees may opt to pay membership dues (in addition to what is deducted by the state)—those dues are entirely voluntary, however.
Why not just ask the legislature to raise subsidy rates?
Child care advocates have asked over and over again for the legislature to raise rates—and to address training, professional development, access to health insurance, and other critical concerns shared by all center workers. Their experience, and that of the Family Child Care Providers, shows that the legislature won’t address the crises in Early Learning without steady, collective pressure, backed by a union contract.
