Dear Friends and Neighbors,
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision on the Illinois case of Harris v. Quinn which could positively impact childcare providers and working parents in Minnesota. The high court ruled that homecare workers in Illinois are not public employees and therefore cannot be compelled to join a public employee union.
This impacts Minnesota because last year Governor Dayton and the Democrat majority in the legislature passed a bill that tried to force childcare providers into public unions even though over 70 percent of licensed home based childcare providers opposed unionization.
The bill passed into law was being done to home based childcare providers instead of being done for them. In fact, the bill was so absurd that it specifically categorized these small business owners—with the force of law as “executive branch state employees employed by the commissioner of management and budget…” for purposes of unionization.
After the unionization bill became law last year, some fought back and brought the case Parrish v. Dayton to court. Last fall, the federal court in Minnesota put that case on hold until the Supreme Court ruled on Harris v. Quinn.
With Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, it is very likely that the Minnesota federal courts will rule Minnesota’s childcare unionization law unconstitutional.
Childcare providers are small, independent, and primarily female-owned businesses who don’t want to be forced into a union by the government. Minnesota already has some of the highest daycare costs in the nation, and being forced to pay union dues would mean higher childcare costs for working moms and dads.
In the legislative survey I sent out earlier this year I asked the question:
Governor Dayton and the Minnesota legislature passed legislation to unionize self-employed, home-based child care providers in Minnesota. Do you think daycare providers should be unionized?
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Yes 12%
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No 78%
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Undecided 10%
As you can see an overwhelming number of people in Chisago County have made their voices clear on this issue, siding with child care providers.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Harris v. Quinn is a victory for parents and childcare providers in Minnesota.
If you have questions, or if I can be of assistance to you on a matter of state government, please do not hesitate to contact me.
It’s an honor to be your voice in Saint Paul.
Sincerely,
Bob Barrett