Each week we select a news story, Letter to the Editor, editorial or column that's generated a lot of feedback at PostBulletin.com and reprint some of those comments on this page. This week's topic is Gov. Dayton's executive order that in-home daycare providers that receive state subsidies should be allowed to vote on whether they will form a union that would represent them in negotiations with the state. Providers who do not receive state subsidies for caring for low-income children won't be allowed to vote.
Below are some of the comments we received.
"All daycare providers should be allowed to vote. Dayton takes his orders from unions, which is why he is restricting who can vote for or against the union."
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"Of course they only want a few voters. The union at its best."
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"That whole democratic practice of voting. ... So hard for some people to understand."
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"Only providers receiving state subsidies can vote? Does that mean a union voted in will press the state for higher wages for grandma taking care of her welfare grandkids?"
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"So who does the union negotiate with if it decides to increase its fees to parents of these children? If a provider decides not to join the union, do they not then eliminate themselves from any subsidies the state will dole out to union members? What a mess Dayton is creating, again."
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"If the vote succeeds, which we know it will, the taxpayers will likely be paying out more to providers who care for children on state assistance. For providers who don't receive state subsidies, nothing will change. If in the future a provider wants to provide this care, she would then have to join the union. The unions backed Dayton because he agreed to do this for them. He had planned on simply having an executive order for this. When he was stopped, this was the fallback and it will succeed."
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"All Dayton is doing is allowing them to have a vote. If they don't want it they can vote no and that's the end of it. Having a voluntary union will allow the daycare providers to speak with one voice about working condition rules and state reimbursements for child care. We now return you to your usual programming of conspiracy theories, slander, and anti-union rants from the usual suspects."
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"So when will this stop? How about unionizing lemonade stands or the guys who are selling hot dogs from their corner stands? How about food concessions at the fair? When will this insanity stop?"
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"Are most of you incapable of reading and then making that next big step toward comprehension?
Obviously, if it doesn't affect your business through the state subsidy, and you just watch your neighbors' kids in exchange for lawn mowing and snow-removal, you shouldn't get a vote. It would be like me asking for a vote in the grocer's union because I sell vegetables out of my backyard to a small group of people. Read it slow, turn down the radio, and try again, people."
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"I'm completely against the union coming in and unionizing individuals, especially if only the ones getting state aid can vote."
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"Unions are no different than any other special interest group that lobbies those in power. Support is given to a candidate and it's a given that if elected, the candidate will rule in favor of the special interest group."
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"The only difference between the child care owners getting a union and the rest of the business groups hiring lobbyists is who is in charge. A business group can fire their lobbyist but the child care workers will NEVER be able to fire the union."
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"Unions negotiate a contract with a business. How can a bunch of individual businesses be in a union? Isn't that collusion, which is illegal? Who will the union negotiate with? These are generally self-employed individuals and determine their own pricing and salary. What does the union have to do with anything these small businesses are doing?"
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"Just because a provider at this moment in time isn't receiving state money for daycare services does not mean the provider won't in the future. Once this passes, she will be forced to join the union in order to receive state money. Also, if the union is going to represent providers with respect to daycare laws, they have no right to speak for providers who never asked for them to be there."
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"When all the daycare providers in your town are all unionized, they can probably set the rate? Looking forward to seeing hired union picketers standing on the sidewalk in front of an in-home daycare that chose not to go union."
