Washington: Unionizing Foster Parents at the Cost of Needy Children
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Kartch
20 MARCH 2008
202-785-0266
Washington: Unionizing Foster Parents at the Cost of Needy Children
AFL-CIO Forces Union Expansion at Every Opportunity
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), condemned the recently proposed bill, H.B. 3145, in Washington’s state legislature that opens the door for the unionization of foster parents. While the bill refrains from mentioning “unionization,” the suggestive wording such as “implementing a tiered classification system for foster parent licensing” has several groups concerned.
According to AWF’s policy director Brian Johnson who recently fought against the forced unionization of independent child care providers in Maine and Massachusetts, this is nothing more than a push to increase the numbers of dues’ paying union members for private sector unions that are increasingly shrinking.
Johnson says the goal is clear and so are its proponents—the AFL-CIO is looking for an opportunity to push mandatory collective bargaining rights on foster parents. “By unionizing foster parents as the AFL-CIO would like to do in Washington, they will be enabling state wage extortion through union bargaining and will essentially classify these parents as ‘agents of the state.’”
The bill is also shadowed by similar efforts in other states, garnering complaints of intimidation and harassment by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Many states’ have experienced child care unionization proposals which force day-care providers to pay union dues if only 30 percent of the workers vote to join a union.
“Unions are representatives, and in this case, they would represent the foster parent, NOT the child. Therefore, they will bargain on behalf of keeping their dues’ paying member content, rather than the health and safety interests of the foster-child,” says Johnson. He claims the unionization of foster parents will also lower the quality of parental care and limit an applicant pool that has already been waning in past years.
“Can you imagine applying for a foster parent license and hearing: ‘Would you like to open your home to a child who is really in need, and by the way, you’re forced to pay union dues as well?’” asks Johnson.
