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The campaign to organize child care providers in Minnesota has ended with a vote against union representation.
The state Bureau of Mediation Services announced Tuesday that, out of 2,348 providers eligible, the vote was 1,014 to 392 against unionization with AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The vote, which began Feb. 8, was conducted by mail.
The vote was made possible by historic legislation passed in 2013 by the Minnesota Legislature that extended collective-bargaining rights to family child-care providers and personal care attendants.
In a statement, ASFCME Council 5 announced it was ending efforts to unionize the workers.
“We’re proud that we were able to expand collective bargaining rights to family care providers who care for Minnesota’s poorest children,” said Eliot Seide, executive director of AFSCME Council 5. “But we’re disappointed that the providers won’t have the opportunity to negotiate higher state subsidy rates and better training to prepare kids for kindergarten and success in life.
“AFSCME honors the mighty women who care for Minnesota’s poorest children. We value their hard work and will continue to advocate for quality child care that working parents can afford. But we will not pursue another union election before the law expires in 2017.”
The representation vote was facing challenges in the courts.
In 2014, 26,000 home health care workers in Minnesota won union representation after a vote was conducted under the law passed in 2013.