Oregon Child Care Workers Sign ‘Model Contract’

by James Parks, Oct 16, 2006

Thanks to the folks at AFSCME for letting us know about two items on their website:

Some 4,400 Oregon child care providers are working under what they say is a model contract. The agreement, reached late last month, contains a 17-point Provider Bill of Rights that includes representation by the union, the right to be treated with dignity and respect and the right to have the union present during any interaction with state agencies.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) watched as state officials signed the new contract Sept. 30. Last year, Kulongoski signed an executive order designating AFSCME Council 75 as the exclusive bargaining representative for registered and certified child care providers throughout the state.

Ken Allen, Council 75’s executive director, said the contract sets an example for the country:

Our contract with the state on behalf of our providers will be a model for the country. Already we’ve had inquiries from other states about our “Bill of Rights” document.

Click here to learn more about the contract.

AFSCME also tells us about a special mother-daughter team from Minnesota. Dianne Mitzuk, a file manager for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and member of AFSCME Local 2829, and her daughter Becky, a teacher of preschoolers with special needs in St. Paul, started collecting donated winter clothing for needy children two years ago. Since then, hundreds of St. Paul children—many from countries scattered across the globe—have benefited from the clothing drive. Because many of their parents do not qualify for public assistance, resources can be difficult to find.

For their service, the two have been selected as joint winners of this year’s Minnesota AFL-CIO’s Terrel Merriman Community Services Award, named after a Salvation Army volunteer. To read more about the Mitzuks, click here.

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