The American Federation of Teachers is unhappy with the latest version of a bill that would allow some child care providers to collectively bargain with the state.
The bill squeaked out of the House Committee on Human Services on Friday with a 6-5 vote.
The bill was scaled back significantly compared to when it was introduced. It now applies to about 1,500 home-based child care providers rather than about 7,000 providers and workers. Child care centers and the workers there are no longer included in the bill. The American Federation of Teachers, the union that has pushed hard for the bill, said excluding the centers is "extremely disappointing."
Here's a statement from Andrew Tripp, the executive director of AFT-Vermont.
"It is extremely disappointing, and makes little sense, that child care centers were excluded; it leaves too many children, through their providers, without a voice. The voice that appeared to ring the loudest with the legislators was from the large corporate-like centers in Chittenden County, who used their limited resources to hire lobbyists to silence the voices of the smaller centers with fewer resources."
He continued:
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