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UNION NEWS
New Benefits for State Workers
California State Employees Association Local 1000 recently negotiated new
work/family benefits. Some highlights:
- "Domestic partner" was added to sick leave and bereavement leave language.
- Transfer Leave
Personal leave, annual leave, vacation, personal day, and/or holiday credit may be transferred between family members, (who are state workers) for issues relating to Family Medical Leave, parental leave or adoption leave. Donations may be made by a child, spouse, domestic partner, brother, sister, or other person residing in the immediate household. - Dependent Care Subsidies
The State and the Union agreed to allocate $2,000,000 from the Work and Family Fund to establish a dependent care subsidy program for eligible State workers. Workers may be eligible to receive a one-time $400 subsidy for their qualified dependent. To be eligible for the subsidy, total household income may not exceed $42,000 per year. Workers must meet the eligibility criteria for the Dependent Care Reimbursement Program (a tax deferred program) to be eligible and apply for the subsidy. A lottery may be used if too many people apply. (CSEA Local 1000/SEIU and State of California)
Paid Parental Leave
Massachusetts Society of Professors, MTA, NEA negotiated paid parental leave in their latest contract with the University of Massachusetts. It covers the Amherst and Boston campuses. Full time tenured and tenure-track faculty and librarians will receive one semester of paid leave covering biological and adoptive parents of a child under 5 years of age. The leave must be taken in the semester that the birth or adoption occurs or the adjacent semester. The worker must use accrued sick leave and if sick leave is insufficient, they may draw against the sick leave bank. FMLA leave runs concurrently with parental leave. (MSP/MTA and University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees)
Flexible Child Care for Grad Students
UAW Local 2322 represents 2400 graduate student employees at University
of Massachusetts at Amherst. In a previous contract, the Union negotiated
"Flex Care", part time/part week child care for 40 children to
meet the needs of students as part of the University child care center.
Priority is given to low income graduate and undergraduate students.
In their last negotiations, the University tried to withdraw support for
the "Flex Care" program. The Union fought back and won. Six months
later, the University closed the 5 regular child care classrooms of the
center (not Flex Care). These classrooms for faculty and staff were not
covered by the faculty/staff union contract. However massive organizing
by faculty, staff and students restored 3 of the classrooms. (UAW Local
2322 and University of Massachusetts)
Legislation
Paid Time Off for Families - Washington State
A bill signed into law in March 2002 will allow workers to use their sick
leave or other paid time off to care for seriously ill spouses, parents,
parents in law, grandparents and disabled children over 18. State law already
covered use of accrued sick leave to care for an ill child under 18. More
information is available at http://www.eoionline.org/
Lactation Accommodation
A new California law, sponsored by the California Council of Machinists,
requires employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a reasonable break
time to employees desiring to express milk during work hours and to provide
mothers with an appropriate, private space (other than a toilet stall) in
which to express milk, that is in close proximity to the employees' work
area. Employers are exempt if their operations would be seriously disrupted
by providing break time to employees desiring to express milk. Fine is $100
per violation. For more details, go to http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/resources/AB-1025-breastfeeding-work.htm
Beyond 9 to 5 - the Challenge of Child Care for Service Industry Workers
The challenge of finding quality child care in a safe, stimulating environment is difficult for most working parents but for parents in the 24/7 service industry, additional challenges that must be considered include early morning and late night work shifts, a schedule that can change week to week and often, a low income. When faced with such limiting factors, how does a parent find the best available child care? What are the options available? How do parents decide?
HERE Local 2 represents approximately 8,500 hotel and restaurant workers in San Francisco. The union has gone a long way in helping its members with both child and elder care issues. Through a labor-management fund negotiated in 1994, members can receive a subsidy to offset the cost of formal child care - usually care provided in a licensed child care program or after school center - and informal, or unlicensed, child care. In 2001, a survey was conducted through interviews with fund participants to identify the reasons behind current child care choices and to establish what type of care members would prefer, if there were no barriers in place. The interviews were conducted in English, Spanish and Chinese.
The majority of the survey participants were married with 1-2 children and 1/3 had a third adult living in the home. Over half were Asian and 23% Hispanic. Only 8% spoke English at home as the primary language. The members tended to work the same number of hours each week but with a varying weekly schedule.
The Challenge of Finding Care
According to the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network,
San Francisco County ranks second in the state for child care supply,
yet it still only meets 41% of the estimated need for child care. For
parents in the service industry, finding care that accommodated their
changing work schedule and hours of work beyond 9-5 added to the usual
challenges of cost and availability.
Most parents' decisions around the care chosen were based on the following:
- Convenient hours
- Convenient location
- Trustworthiness of provider
- Cost
Of the parents who chose a formal child care setting, 2/3 chose care provided in a licensed center. For parents who chose informal child care, many chose a family member who would not only be flexible but was trusted and cost less than a provider in a formal setting. 70% of the providers of informal care offered odd-hour care. In contrast but not surprisingly, only 18% of those in a formal setting received the same flexibility.
Level of Satisfaction
Regardless of the type of care chosen, parents were for the most part
satisfied with their choice of care. This is reflected in the length of
time many of the children had been with the same caregiver. Those in informal
care had the same provider for almost 5 years and those in formal care
had the same provider for approximately 3 years, reflecting a very high
rate of stability for both types of care.
Illustrated by the longevity of utilizing the same provider,
the decision-making behind parental choice for care seems, for the most
part, to meet parental needs. Indeed, when asked to state the care they
would choose if there were no restrictions, 67% of the participants with
children in formal care stated they would keep the same provider, compared
with 46% of those using informal care.
30% of participants using informal care stated they would rather have
their child in a licensed center than informal care. The main reasons
were:
- More social interaction with other children
- More formal education for their child
These parallel the main reasons why those already in formal care would choose to remain with the same licensed provider.
Those receiving informal care and who stated they would keep the same provider were for the most part using a family member. They believed a family member provided better care and had a higher level of trust and familiarity.
For those in a 24/7 service industry, the decision-making
behind parental choice of child care is complicated and involves many
work considerations including hours worked, weekend and evening shifts,
and ever changing schedules. While parents feel that licensed care benefits
their children's social and mental development, it is clear that availability,
cost and access to odd-hour care, in conjunction with work considerations,
impact parents access to licensed care. In the face of these obstacles
many parents have come to rely on relative care, which at a minimum allows
them to put their child with someone they trust. (The survey was done
by the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network and the Labor
Project for Working Families and this article was written with the assistance
of Carlise King and the Network)
Pocket Guide to the Family and Medical
Leave Acts, NEW 2ND EDITION! California Public Employee Relations. A
"user friendly" guide to the federal Family and Medical Leave
Act of 1993 and the California Family Rights Act of 1993. The Pocket Guide
spells out who is eligible for leave, increments in which leave can be used,
various methods of calculating leave entitlements, record keeping and notice
requirements, and enforcement. For employees, union officials, and labor
relations managers. For more information, go to http://cper.berkeley.edu.
Order for $10 each (Discounts for larger orders) through University of California
Press Journals, Fax 510-642-9917, Email: jorders@ucpress.ucop.edu
Union Contracts Database: http://iir.berkeley.edu/library/contracts/
One Stop on line clearinghouse of cataloged and digitized complete text
of union contracts. The contracts include union, employer, state, time
period contract is in effect, and occupational titles of employees covered.
The contracts can be search by key words. The project is seeking more
contracts. For more information, contact Lincoln Cushing, Institute of
Industrial Relations Library, UC Berkeley, (510) 642-1056, lcushing@library.berkeley.edu
Credit Where Credit is Due: Using Tax Breaks to Help Pay for Child
and Dependent Care. A new, easy to use guide that describes 4 tax
breaks to help pay for child and dependent care, how much they can be
worth and how to claim them. A collaboration between the National Women's
Law Center and the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent
Care. For more information, go to www.nwlc.org
Work-Related Child-Care Centres in Canada 2001. Human Resources
Development Canada, Labor Program. This report reviews current practices
around workplace child care centres that are sponsored/ supported by the
employer, unions, or an employee group. It gives examples and the history
of how the program got started and who was involved in the process. Free
copies are available. Call (819) 994-6313 or
http://labour.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/worklife/
Ask A Working Woman - Survey 2002
- Women work long and irregular hours. 30% work non-traditional
shifts including weekends and evenings.
- Health care is a rising workplace issue. 91% rate affordable
health care as important, 69% as very important.
- 88% of women say laws to expand family and medical
leave are important and 54% say they are very important. Among Latina
women, 56% rate this as a highest priority, compared with 40% of white
women and 39% of African American women.
- 78% of women and 76% of men say laws to improve the
quality and affordability of child care are important. Half rate them
as very important.
- 93% of mothers say stronger equal pay laws are important, 58% say very important.
Ask A Working Woman Survey 2002, conducted for the AFL-CIO.
More information is available at: http://www.aflcio.org/news/2002/0507_wwsurvey.htm
Labor Family News is published quarterly by:
Labor Project for Working Families
2521 Channing Way #5555
Berkeley, CA 94720
Ph: 510-643-7088
Fax: 510-642-6432
lpwf@berkeley.edu
www.working-families.org
Netsy Firestein
Editor
Jenya Cassidy
Managing Editor
Reprints Permitted With Acknowledgement. Call
us for an email version.
