Following Child Care Workers' Strike, Committee Votes to Reject Child Care Cuts
PHOTO: Early childhood educators & parents protesting at the State House Tuesday
The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted 10-3 Wednesday to remove cuts to childcare affordability programs and worker wages after hundreds of child care workers, parents and children packed the State House on Tuesday to protest Governor Janet Mills’ proposed childcare cuts.
About fifteen child care providers closed or only partially opened for the day while workers traveled to Augusta to speak out against the Governor’s proposals, which includes $30 million dollars in cuts to the Child Care Salary Supplement Program that provides $200-$500 monthly stipends to child care workers based on skill level. The governor’s cuts to child care workers’ wage subsidies would reduce wages by $2000 a year, from $16.40/hr. (just over $34,000 annually) to $15.15/hr. (or $31,500 annually).
On Friday, members of the Health and Human Services Committee appeared to be leaning toward accepting the Governor’s budget proposals, so child care workers and providers mobilized over the weekend and resolved to show up en masse at the State House to protest.
“At first, I wondered if this was going to be a couple people, but it took off and 200 to 300 people filled the third and fourth floors of the State House,” said Maine AFL-CIO Organizing Director Sarah Bigney McCabe. “Since the day cares were closed, parents just decided to bring their children with them to Augusta.”
Mothers, children and educators crowded the halls outside the House and Senate chambers waving signs like “Child Care is the Workforce Behind Every Other Workforce” and “Early Educators Matter” as they sang “You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my child care away!” The action clearly had an impact because on Tuesday the HHS Committee overwhelmingly voted to reject the the $30 million cut to child care worker wages, the $7.2 million to Head Start and the $5 million to the Child Care Employment Award, which which has allowed many more families to qualify for help paying for child care.
The Appropriations Committee will negotiate a final budget package, but the strong vote by the HHS Committee rejecting the cuts sends a clear message. If you want to see if your family qualifies for child care subsidies, please reach out to sarah@maineaflcio.org
