On Thursday, March 6, 2008 teachers and children from Kids R Us and Tiny Tots, centers associated with AFT/WEA/WEEL, and teachers and children from SEIU-affiliated Ages in Stages and Child’s Time III participated in a rally at the downtown YMCA branch to call attention to the YMCA’s opposition to forming a union for child care center directors and staff. While the YMCA and other big child care center chains like KinderCare have lobbied the legislature to exempt them from the bill, yet they are still trying to stop the bill. “Our goal is to have a strong voice to improve care for the kids,” said Carmen Gilmore, a child care teacher at Child’s Time III in Parkland. “Why are the YMCA’s trying to block our vote?”
At the rally, about 50 children, their teachers, and staff from AFT and SEIU sang the Village People’s song Y-M-C-A but with different lyrics:
Children . . . need to learn and to grow
But their teachers . . . can’t afford pay this low
That’s why centers . . . are uniting today
There’s no need – to – stand – in – our – way.
Don’t take our choice away Y-M-C-A
We need a voice today Y-M-C-A.
HB 2449 passed out of the Senate Ways and Means and went on to Senate Rules but did not pass. We want to thank the House and Sentate members, especially Representatives Pettigrew and Conway for working hard to try to pass the bill. We will all work hard again in the 2009 legislative session to pass a similar bill and hope that the big chains will not block independent centers from having a choice whether or not to belong to a union.
