1199/Employer Child Care Fund

Description

In New York City, the 1199 Health and Human Service Employees Union did more than bargain for better wages for its workers. This union of health care workers also negotiated with employers to help provide services to the children of union members. The 1199/Employer Child Care Fund was the result. The fund provides programs, child care resources, and information to thousands of union families. Under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, employers support the fund. The goal is to increase the quality of child care programs for the children of their workers.

The board of the Fund consists of two partners: the union officials and the hospital management. There are 26 people who serve on the labor management board, as well as 184 employers who contribute to the fund. Other fund partners include:

• New York City Board of Education;
• New York University Metropolitan Center;
• The Harlem School of the Arts;
• YMCAs; and
• community agencies.

Employer demands usually were the topic of discussion at meetings between the union and employers. In the 1980s, however, members of the health care workers union 1199 in New York City worried about more than just overtime and wages. In meetings with employers, members said that they needed quality, affordable child care. A survey of the union membership confirmed that child care was a top priority for workers.

In 1989, the union’s collective bargaining agreement with 17 employers included a provision that 0.5 percent of the gross payroll would go toward a child care fund. In 1991, the fund hired a director to manage the 1199/Employer Child Care Fund, and in 1992, the fund started to operate. The number of employers contributing has grown from the original 17 to 184, and covers approximately 45,000 union members who are parents. Approximately half of the union members have children under the age of 17 and are eligible for benefits.

In 1997, the 1199 Fund served 6,500 children through its services and programs. In 1998, the fund projects that it will serve more than 9,500 children.

The 1199/Employer Child Care Fund has always focused on improving access to quality child care. These values have guided the use of the funds in developing several direct programs for union members.

• The 1199 Future of America Learning Center in the North Bronx has been in operation since 1993. The facility cares for 70 children, ages 2 to 5, and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The facility is open to the community. However, union families make up 78 percent of the center's users and receive priority for admission and tuition subsidies. Another center will be opened soon at the Brookdale Hospital.
• A summer camp in Greenwich Village uses a public school building for its operation. The camp has been in existence for four years and mainly serves children whose parents work at the St. Vincent’s Hospital.
• Workforce 2000, a partnership with New York University, is a program geared toward teenagers. This program provides various options to help students plan for future success, including skill development, mentoring by college students, workshops on applying to and staying in college, and computer work.

The 1199 /Employer Child Care Fund also provides a variety of other services:

Child care resource and referral. Agents fielded 15,000 calls and made 2,000 referrals in 1998.

Summer and holiday camps. The Fund provides referrals to some camps and contracts with other camps to provide slots for union members' children. It also provides vouchers to members for camps of their choice, including those that serve special needs children.

Cultural and arts programming on weekends. Weekend scheduling is a requirement of the union contract, and the Fund provides special child care programming for parents who work weekends.

Direct subsidies. 4,000 employees receive vouchers to reimburse child care expenses on a quarterly basis.

In 1998 the Fund received $8.5 million from union employers. Employers pay either 0.3% or 0.5% of their gross payroll to the Child Care Fund. NYU and service providers who reduce tuition for Fund members also contribute resources. Parents may also make a co-payment for child care in some programs.

The Fund draws its resources from the collective bargaining agreement between the employers and the 1199 Health and Human Service Employees Union. The Fund is not a legal part of the union, but administers the trust for the Board of Trustees and all the local child care committees that represent the parents at each hospital and home.

Although there are currently no statistics on employee satisfaction with the program, it has been growing steadily. In informal surveys, parents express their appreciation for and the value of the Fund's programs. Every year, a growing number of parents ask about upcoming programs.

While employers have not given official feedback to the partnership, some have reported noticing that their employees have fewer worries about their children. In some cases, tardiness has declined. Fewer worries about family result in more productive employees.

The future of the Fund is secure, as indicated by the growing number of employers who contribute to the Fund and the growing number of employees who seek its assistance. The Fund was not modeled on any other partnership, but since its inception, staff have consulted with unions in other states about starting similar programs.

Document quality. It is a challenge to find a systematic way to document the qualitative benefits of a program like the Fund, but it is important to find a way to step back from the day-to-day operations to measure how well services are actually being delivered. This type of evaluation will involve the input of both union and employer representatives.

Work out problems honestly and quickly. Barriers between organizations often slow down the real work. The Fund has found that it is important to be flexible and honest about issues and to encourage trust and flexibility.

Build support for quality. Quality child care centers and programs require a well-trained and diverse staff that spends a lot of time planning and establishing good practices.

Dispel the traditional notions of child care. One of the biggest challenges has been to dispel the common notions about child care as babysitting, and to promote the ideals of high-quality, age-appropriate, and systematic care. The Fund found that people have an old notion of child care that does not consider school-age and teen-age issues. These issues are particularly essential in a high-growth environment.

Carol Joyner
Executive Director
1199/Employer Child Care Fund
330 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 564-2220
Fax: (212) 564-2971