UFT Pushes Day-Care Rights

Staffers Aid Kids in Homes

UFT Pushes Day-Care Rights 

By HOWARD MEGDAL

United Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now Executive Director Bertha Lewis and leaders of the proposed UFT-ACORN Family Day Care Providers Union called for a grievance procedure and regular pay schedules for the city's child-care workers during a Nov. 15 City Council hearing.

The Chief-Leader/Terry Allen OFFICIALS TAKE HEAT: Elliott S. Marcus, Associate Commissioner for the Bureau of Day Care at the Department of Health, answers questions from the City Council Committees on General Welfare and Women's Issues during a hearing on child care. To his right is John B. Mattingly, Commissioner of the Administration for Children's Services. "These people need - desperately - a fair hearing and procedure to resolve their issues," Ms. Weingarten said.

Seeking to Unionize

The UFT, ACORN and New York State United Teachers launched a campaign in July to unionize more than 52,000 home day-care providers across the state, including 30,000 in the city. The effort to unionize the workers needs legislative approval in Albany.

The demands come in response to stories of unceasing government bureaucracy for many of the city's family (caring for 3-to-6 children) and group family (caring for between 6-to-12) day-care providers simply attempting to be paid, and low wages for those that are compensated.

A recent ACORN study showed that the average salary for child-care workers in the city was $19,933. Overall, the average for state workers was just $16,942.

But for many providers, even getting their modest wages has proven to be difficult. Margaret Adams, a child-care worker from the Bronx, told the Council Committees on General Welfare and Women's Issues of five-month period in which she was not paid at all. It took her a year to finally reach a supervisor who was able to pay her.

Bridget Carruth, a provider for 15 years, is owed $8,000 dating back to 2002. "I have a stack of correspondence from city agencies, but I do not have my money," said Carruth.

The effort by the UFT, NYSUT and ACORN to unionize the providers has resulted in more than 6,000 workers signing authorization cards to be represented.

"But we're not going to wait until we're official to start representing the interests of these hard-working providers," the UFT president said.

For its part, the Department of Health, the city agency that oversees providers, believes that the opportunity for redress exists in the current system.

"We believe actions are already in place to provide relief to workers that have a complaint," said Elliott S. Marcus, an Associate Commissioner at DOH.

The Administration for Children's Services, meanwhile, was more focused on its just-released Strategic Plan, which would include an integration of child care and Head Start programs, along with a merging into the Human Resources Administration's child care services. The plan also calls for a higher level of coordination with the Department of Education.

'Better Coordination'

"This collaboration will streamline the coordination between early care and education programs across the city," said John B. Mattingly, Commissioner for ACS.

Councilman Bill de Blasio, the Chairman of the Committee on General Welfare, said that for too long, child care had been receiving short shrift relative to other, lesser priorities.

"It is time for us to shine a light on this issue," he said. Ms. Weingarten declared, "We will use all the clout of UFT, NYSUT and ACORN to make sure the providers of this state achieve the right to be represented.