ABSTRACT:
This study of home-based child care providers, represented in New Jersey by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees – Council 1 (AFSCME) in the Child Care Workers Union (CCWU), details their experiences three years after the successful implementation of their collective bargaining agreement. A survey mailed to all members of the union yielded 148 responses on topics including education, training, and certification; earnings and work conditions; and union attitudes and participation levels. In addition AFSCME staff members were interviewed about the unionizing process and issues the union has addressed since the negotiation of the bargaining agreement.
Our findings document the impact of unionization on New Jersey’s home-based child care workforce. As such, they can inform future organizing efforts in this and similar workforce sectors, guide unions in the service of their members, and add to the growing body of knowledge on organizing trends in the service sector.