Day-Care Director Pact Talks Focus On Health Benefits
By DAVID SIMS
The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators is pushing for a new contract for its Day Care Directors, whose most recent pact expired on June 30, 2006.

RANDI HERMAN: No light at end of tunnel yet.

Retaining health benefits and gaining safeguards against the closing of day-care centers are the union's primary goals , said CSA Vice President Peter McNally, the union's chief negotiator.

"We have been at the far end of the table for the last few months," said Mr. McNally. The contract is negotiated with several different bodies, including the Daycare Council, the city's Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Labor Relations and the Administration for Children's Services. The city is not directly involved because the Directors work for the sponsoring board, the Daycare Council, but "the city is definitely part of it," said CSA First Vice President Randi Herman.

Health Benefits Battleground

"One of the biggest challenges we have is negotiating health benefits," said Mr. McNally. Management is seeking to cut its health-care costs at members' expense, which CSA President Ernest Logan strongly opposes. "The [CSA] health-care proposal is still being crafted. The union would never accept anything that was less than what our members needed," said Ms. Herman, who is heavily involved in the negotiations. "We're looking for a package that would provide adequate health care for our members at a reasonable price."

Another key issue is ACS's initiative Project Full Enrollment, which many fear will lead to day-care centers being shut down if they do not fill every seat. The plan proposes that centers be paid by attendance, which the CSA says "does not take into account the fixed costs of a day-care center." A union statement said that the initiative "is holding the day-care centers responsible for attendance rates but attendance, of course, in day care is not compulsory, so there isn't any leverage to ensure that attendance levels are maintained."

Have Gained Modifications

Ms. Herman said that plans for Project Full Enrollment were proceeding with more pragmatism after the union appealed to ACS. "It's being phased in very slowly. The parameters for the project were redrawn or amended as we began working with ACS." She went on to describe the development of the project as "more of a thoughtful process looking towards achieving the goal of getting as many people into day care as possible."

The CSA has criticized ACS for inefficiency and outdated organization systems. In a City Council hearing regarding two measures which concern day-care enrollment, Ms. Herman advocated that the centers should become part of the Department of Education, "if the Administration for Children's Services cannot, or chooses not to focus on early learning."

Ms. Herman struck a note of optimism about the negotiations, saying that "The fact that there is conversation is a very positive step," and that "given the fiscal crisis that the city is in, things are moving slowly, but they are moving." Nonetheless, she conceded that there was still a way to go in terms of a contract. "It's been a long time, and it's frustrating," she admitted.