Union organizers may be coming to YOUR home soon.  
Make sure you are prepared for their visit!

Know Your Rights!

When a union organizer comes to your door  

• You have the right to view their identification.
• You have the right to ask them to leave at any time.  If they refuse, you have the right to call the police and file a report.
• You have the right to refuse to sign the authorization card. 
• Refusing to sign the authorization card will NOT make you ineligible for grants OR the food program and will NOT negatively impact your license or business.
• You have the right to hang signs or post notices on your property prohibiting union organizing on your property.
• You have the right to file a complaint with the State Labor Board if union organizers violate state labor law.
• You have the right to report union organizers to the police if they claim to be someone who they are not. 
• • You have the right to video tape or use a recording device to document  your interaction with an organizer who comes to your home or calls on the telephone. You do not need to make them aware that you are recording.

You have a right to oppose unionization:

• You have the right to protest, speak out against, and actively oppose childcare unionization.
• Associations CAN adopt positions of opposition without losing their non-profit status.
• Associations, provider groups, and other organizations CAN  provide information to providers and the public opposing unionization.
• Providers DO have the right to refuse service to families on assistance if unionization is tied to this program.
• You do not need to sign a card in order to get a vote in a union election.  As long as you are an eligible voter as defined in the law you will get a ballot regardless of whether or not you have signed a card.
• You have the right to sign a de-authorization petition stating that you do NOT support unionization.

What to Expect / Safety Tips

• Union organizers are supposed to wear identification.  However, providers have reported that organizers have come to their homes without identification and have even claimed to be from other organizations like Child Care Aware or food programs. Make sure you ask for identification from anyone knocking on your door.
• While the unions claim organizers have background checks done, at least one organizer who was visiting the homes of child care providers in Minnesota has a criminal history and would not pass a DHS background check. Remember, YOU are responsible for who you allow around the children in your care. Allowing someone with a disqualifying conviction around the children in your program could put your license in jeopardy.
• Organizers are at your home with the goal of getting you to sign an authorization card. Regardless of what organizers tell you, signing this card shows that you DO support the union. These cards enroll you as a union member and authorize the deduction of dues from your child care assistance payments once the union contract is formed.  
• Providers have reported organizers using unethical tactics to obtain signatures on cards. Do not sign anything unless you have time to read all the fine print on the front and back. Ask the organizer to leave the card with you so you can review it at your convenience.
• Organizers usually come during business hours when providers are busy caring for children. The supervision and safety of your children are a priority.  It is  okay to ask the organizer to leave.  If you would like to speak with them more, ask them to come back at a time convenient for you.
• Organizers often come back again and again to solicit your support.   If you want them to leave and not come back, you should post a notice on your door and call police if they disobey the sign.
• You can expect that most union organizers coming to your home are not child care providers and do not understand the demands of the child care profession. Often times, unions hire organizers from out of state and fly them to do this type of organizing. They are trained to obtain signatures and avoid answering questions. 
• You can expect that union  organizers are willing to stay for a long time, sometimes over an hour to obtain your support and signature.   Remember, you CAN ask them to leave at any time.

Be Prepared!

Since organizers are out to solicit support during our work day at our homes,  you can be  prepared before they come. 

Hang this sign on your door or somewhere near the entry so it's easy to see. If an organizer violates this sign and knocks on your door anyway, call the police and file trespassing charges.

Share this with other providers you know.

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