Providers win first contract with higher state rates, new role in system and voice for quality care: 5,000 family care providers in Maryland won their first contract with the Department of Education and the Governor's Office yesterday. The historic contract includes a nearly three-percent increase in the state subsidy, access to decision-making committees, and the creation of a new Training Committee of state officials and child care providers to recommend future improvements.

"We hung in there; it's been more than four years. We're really teaching a great lesson to the children in our care: you work hard and stick with it, and you can accomplish anything," said Crystal Barksdale, Kids First Maryland leader and family child care provider in Baltimore County. More contract details on this contract victory for SEIU Local 500 child care providers.

New Gaming Workers Council Launches Website, Ads

The new Gaming Workers Council brings together four of the nation's largest labor unions to put the combined force of 15 million union members behind casino unionization drives across the country. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) Gaming Division, SEIU, UAW and AFL-CIO are standing together on behalf of workers in the casino industry, concentrating on jump-starting stalled contract talks in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Detroit and Connecticut.

The Council's very first order of business is support for ongoing contract campaigns for casino dealers in Atlantic City. It was two years ago that casino dealers at Caesars voted to become members of the UAW/Atlantic City Dealers Union...yet there is still no deal. Members began running radio and newspaper ads this week in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Press of Atlantic City, to inform the public of their struggle. The ads coincide with the launch of a new website, http://FairDealForACDealers.org, which chronicles the workers' campaign and requests casino workers to submit their stories.

The UAW has won representation elections at four Atlantic City casinos (Trump Plaza, Bally's and Tropicana) but has not reached a contract with any of them after two years of bargaining.

Last month, we brought you news of the tentative contract agreement SEIU Local 1000 secured covering and protecting the jobs of 95,000 California state workers, right as Gov. Schwarzenegger announced the elimination of up to 20,000 state jobs to bridge the state's $42 billion budget gap.

After nine months of intense bargaining, the tentative contract was put to a vote by all of Local 1000's members this weekend. In a decision that reflects California's tough economic conditions, members voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract that provides the strongest layoff protections state workers have ever had.

The contract includes a mix of gains and concessions, including a once-a-month floating furloughs day and a temporary 4.6 percent pay cut. This is just half the 9.2 percent cut from the twice-monthly furloughs imposed on 10 other state unions that don't have contracts.

"This agreement gives our members layoff protections at a time when California's unemployment rate is above 10 percent and the state's budget deficit continues to mount," said Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker. "There was just no room to even think about a pay increase," commented Margarita Maldonado, a 20-year state employee who was part of the union's bargaining team. "The best we could do is give our members some stability."

Since late February, there have been 555 union meetings where members discussed the agreement and voted, casting their ballots in person or by mail. The agreement, which must be approved by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in order to take full affect, was supported by 91 percent of voters. It covers 95,000 state workers, which is nearly half the state government workforce.

More details on the provisions of this contract listed after the fold, courtesy of www.seiu1000.org...