King Day Gathering Challenges Ohio Gov. Kasich’s Attacks on Workers
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When Teresa Laws takes the bullhorn this evening, she will raise her voice to speak out for some of our most vulnerable citizens: children and those who need constant home care.
Laws will be one of the speakers when more than 400 union and civil rights activists gather at Cincinnati’s City Hall to condemn Republican Gov. John Kasich’s plan to strip Ohio child care and home health care workers of their right to bargain for a better life. The event is part of the annual AFL-CIO King Day celebration, which began yesterday in Cincinnati.
Throughout the conference, activists will send a message that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of social and economic justice is not dead even in this tough political climate. Workers who provide vital services to the Cincinnati area—including home and child care providers and transit workers—will share their stories and concerns about Kasich and his allies’ attempts to blame and punish low-income workers for the state of the economy.
Workers Join AFSCME, Machinists and IUE-CWA in Recent Campaigns
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Some 2,600 family child care providers in New Mexico recently voted to join Child Care Providers Together (CCPT)/New Mexico, an AFSCME affiliate. Meanwhile, aerospace workers in Georgia voted for Machinists (IAM) representation and car rental workers in Boston chose IUE-CWA.
In New Mexico, the child care workers—who care for children whose parents are eligible for state child care assistance—topped off their three-year fight for a voice at work last week when their vote to join CCPT was certified.
In April, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) signed legislation the workers had fought for since 2006 to win the right to join a union to improve their lives and the quality of home child care services in the state.
News Nuggets from AFSCME and Sheet Metal Workers
Here’s a trio of union news nuggets from AFSCME locals in Kansas and Connecticut and Sheet Metal Workers in Pennsylvania.
Some 7,000 licensed and registered home child care providers won their first contract with the state last month. The workers mobilized in 2007 to form the Child Care Providers Together Kansas (CCPT)/AFSCME.
The contract establishes the framework for strengthening ties between the providers, two state agencies and the legislature. Specifically, it adopts a list of provider rights and sets guidelines for licensing, professional development and the payment process.
