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State Legislator's Comments

State Legislators Comments

Written by Paul Anderson - State House Representative 13A

Monday, 21 November 2011 15:32

Monday, Nov. 21, 2011

Despite the threat of a Republican legislative challenge, Gov. Dayton last week ordered a state-wide vote among certain day care providers to see if they want to form a union. Only those licensed providers who receive state subsidies would be allowed to vote and potentially join the union. It’s estimated that approximately half of Minnesota’s nearly 11,000 child care providers would be affected by this order.

I am not in favor of this move by the Governor and don’t understand the need for a day care union. These people run their own businesses and are not employees in the usual sense of the word. The Legislature sets the amount they receive in state subsidies for working parents who can’t afford to pay the full cost for day care. It seems to fly in the face of good government that we should have to bargain with a union to set those rates.

I haven’t talked with a single day care provider in our district who favors unionization. And certainly, those who utilize day care are concerned about the increased cost of services this might cause because of the payment of union dues. According to the Governor, joining would be voluntary and anyone could choose not to belong to the union or pay dues. But, what about the concept of those not joining having to “pay their fair share” for the union negotiating certain aspects of a contract? What about a provider currently having clients who receive the state subsidy and, later on, not having any such clients? Could they then leave the union? It also seems to me that truly “voluntary membership” in a union would not work.

The Pope County Daycare Association, representing approximately 80 percent of the county’s licensed providers, voted overwhelmingly Oct. 24th against the unionization of child care. According to a letter sent to me, they felt such a union “wouldn’t benefit providers in out-state Minnesota.” In addition, they see no need for such a plan, adding that a union "might even add more regulations and fees”.

According to state officials, ballots will be mailed out in early December and must be returned within two weeks.

I attended the annual meeting Nov. 16th of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council. It’s a highlight of the fall season to attend this gathering as they always have top-notch speakers addressing current topics in agriculture. The shaky world economy and our extremely volatile commodity markets are a major concern right now as we work our way past the recession and look to add jobs. The chief agricultural economist for Wells Fargo and a director of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank gave interesting talks about what they see ahead for agriculture. I will share some of their thoughts in a future column.

The holiday season is upon us, and from the look outside, so is winter! Our farm received at least five inches of snow last Saturday and areas of Stearns County received double that amount. The forecast, though, is calling for good weather this week for those traveling “over the river and through the woods”. May you have a good Thanksgiving and enjoy time spent with family and friends. Living in this state and in this country is truly something to be thankful for.

Representative Paul Anderson

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