Yesterday, Service Workers United cafeteria workers from across the country went to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress for stronger USDA Child Nutrition Programs. One member of the group was Marlon Taylor, a food service worker from suburban Illinois. Here, Marlon discusses why he loves his job working with kids and why it's important to improve the Child Nutrition Act.

Last year in the U.S., a record 20 million subsidized school lunches were served each day. In Illinois, Taylor's home state, there were 713,755 free or reduced-price lunches served during the 2007-2008 school year alone.

Earlier this month, the agriculture appropriations committees in both chambers of Congress agreed to spend an additional $13 billion this year on nutrition programs. However, exactly how much of that will be allocated towards improving the quality and nutritional value of the food served to children in public schools remains up in the air.

Congress is scheduled to take up the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act this fall--which is why now is the time to lend your voice to tell Congress we need an improved Child Nutrition Act: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/nutritionact

Five thousand family child care providers who participate in the state's child care subsidy program have settled a historic first contract with the Governor's Office and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Kids First Maryland/SEIU Local 500 child care providers voted by a margin of more than 30-to-1 to ratify their first contract. After 14 months of negotiations, providers won 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.

"Today the workers who help raise and educate Maryland's most vulnerable children have taken a significant step toward gaining a seat at the table, where they can advocate for themselves and the children in their care - this is a win for providers and families," said Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500. The majority of parents receiving state subsidies for their children's care are single mothers entering the workforce or gaining an education through welfare-to-work programs. They are concentrated in Maryland's most underserved communities.

There remains much to be done to mend a system that for too long has pushed quality in-home child care providers out of business. The number of family child care homes in Maryland dropped by 26 percent between 1997 and 2007, due in part to staggeringly low subsidy rates and lack of provider access to affordable health insurance and other benefits. The contract creates additional avenues for addressing these issues, including the creation of a joint committee of state officials and union providers to further explore health care coverage options for family child care providers.

Still, provider-leaders are savoring the victory which they believe is a crucial milestone on their path to the professional respect and fair compensation that they deserve. "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.

« Read a letter from the bargaining team & contract highlights.
« Learn more about SEIU Kids First

Dozens of provider leaders from Child Care Providers United of California--a joint SEIU/AFSCME local union--rallied May 4th at the state Capitol in Sacramento and called on lawmakers to support payment reform measures on behalf of providers and working families.

CCPUnited leaders met directly with these legislators to urge them to support AB 304 (Price), which would make direct deposit available for providers statewide who serve working families eligible for subsidized child care, and AB 315 (de Leon), which would standardize payment procedures and notification policies for providers. In addition, they called on legislators to reject measures to reduce reimbursements rates and increase family fees in a hearing on the current budget negotiations.

"We're here from all over the state to make our voices heard for California's working families," said Socorro Avita, a provider and CCPUnited leader from Los Angeles.
Both AB 304 and AB 315 passed their respective committees in early May. Providers testified at legislative hearings in strong support of both bills, while giving examples of how late payments can cause numerous problems for providers who often live paycheck to paycheck.

"Providers know firsthand the struggles of making ends meet," testified Carolyn Thompson, provider and CCPUnited leader from Contra Costa County. "Lawmakers can make a huge difference in so many lives by saying 'yes' to [these bills]."

Janne Day, a CCPUnited member from Sacramento, commented on the flaws of the current system: "Regardless of where the error or delay occurs, it is the provider who doesn't get paid. Our own bills won't wait ... What this bill is asking for should already be in place."

During an earlier committee hearing on the state's budget, Kern County CCPUnited member Maria Munoz was invited to testify against wage reductions and fee increases, as well as to urge elected leaders to use federal stimulus money to take kids off the state's waiting list for subsidized care.

"I know many parents who call their local alternative payment [AP] agency to apply for child care subsidies, and are immediately put on a waiting list and given their numerical place. Every couple of weeks they call the AP to check on their position, and every time the number stays exactly the same. Years can go by before they reach the top of the list." said Munoz.

Although AB 304 and AB 315 were passed during their initial subcommittee votes, there are still several hurdles they need to clear before they can become law. That's why providers are continuing to call and write their legislators about the state budget and are meeting regularly with their elected officials and staff to tell them just how important these bills are for providers and the families they serve.

As many as 2,000 children lose their health insurance every day as parents lose their jobs

For nearly six in ten Americans--59.3 percent--losing a job also results in the loss of health care coverage. The Center for American Progress estimates that nearly 2.4 million workers have lost the health coverage their jobs provided since the beginning of the recession. For many primary breadwinners, becoming unemployed equals the loss of healthcare coverage not just for themselves, but also for their family members and children.

While most SEIU members have healthcare through their union contracts, others are fighting to win coverage. Last weekend, SEIU Healthcare Michigan members and their families attended the Detroit launch of a national initiative called "Kids Can't Wait," a campaign which draws attention to the impact of the economic crisis on children's healthcare. The campaign is rooted in the belief that to ensure underserved children get the health care they need, sometimes caregivers must go to the children.

The program, funded by Children's Health Fund, (CHF) is deploying 37 state-of-the-art mobile medical clinics with about 100 doctors, dentists and assistants that will travel across the U.S., providing care to anyone under the age of 18 who needs it. There are no prerequisites, no questions asked and oh yeah, the best part: it's free of charge.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rep. John Dingell and Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick joined CHF co-founders Dr. Irwin Redlener and singer/songwriter Paul Simon for the Detroit launch. For more information about the Kids Can't Wait campaign, visit www.childrenshealthfund.org. Join the Children's Health Fund cause on Facebook here.