WHEREAS:

The supply of decent, affordable day care has been outstripped by the growing demand for child care. Fifteen million children between the ages of six and thirteen have working mothers and more than nine million children under the age of six have mothers in the paid work force, for a total of twenty-four million children under age thirteen. The need for infant care and before and after school programs are now the two most serious problems in terms of child care confronting working parents of young children; and

WHEREAS:

In 1986 almost forty-seven percent of mothers with children under three and almost fifty-two percent of mothers with children under six years of age are in the labor force. By 1990, an estimated 30 million infants and children will need child care; and

WHEREAS:

Despite the obvious need for child care, and without regard to the consequences, the Reagan Administration has continued to cut federal programs that support child care. Title XX, the largest program providing federal support directly for child care, has been cut twenty-one percent. The child care food program that provides meals to children in child care centers and family day care homes has been slashed by thirty percent. Child care support available to poor families through the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program has been reduced. The numerous federal programs that support Head Start, AFDC, Food Stamps, Medicaid and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children have all been cut; and

WHEREAS:

As a result of federal budget cuts, thirty-five states provided child care to fewer poor children in 1985 than 1981. Since 1981, total combined federal and state spending for Title XX child care has been further reduced; and

WHEREAS:

These cuts hurt poor families, particularly those headed by women. Most of the families using Title XX are headed by single women who need to work out of economic necessity. Two-thirds of women in the labor force are the sole providers for their children or have husbands who earn less than $15,000 a year. In addition, over one-third of single-parent working families live below the poverty level. Most of these families are headed by women; and

WHEREAS:

Budget cuts, as a result of Gramm-Rudman, will make the shortage of Title XX child care even worse. It is estimated that a minimum of 500,000 licensed day care positions will be needed. The waiting lists for care are enormous and rapidly growing. This does not include the mothers who do not sign up on a waiting list when care is not immediately available. However, escalating insurance premiums and cancellations and high child care employee turnover rates have substantially affected the number of available day care positions; and

WHEREAS:

Poor women who need child care so they can attend training and education programs that would help them secure a job and earn more money are finding that child care is unavailable. Many states and counties already had short-sighted policies that limited the child care available to women in school or in training before 1980. Since 1981, twenty states have made it even harder for poor mothers who are trying to improve their education or job skills to receive child care subsidies; and

WHEREAS:

Another group that has been hurt by budget cuts in Title XX is marginal-income working families. States determine what portion of their Title XX allotment is used for child care and who is eligible for services. Even before 1980, many states had income guidelines governing who could receive child care that excluded families earning little more than poverty-level wages. Since 1980, ten states have tightened these income requirements even further, making fewer low-income working families eligible for child care. Nineteen states have imposed new minimum fees on child care services or have increased previous fees, so that low-income parents are finding it harder to afford that care that is available; and

WHEREAS:

Federal changes in AFDC law have caused thousands of poor working families to lose welfare benefits. Because many states tie Title XX assistance to eligibility for AFDC, these families have lost publicly funded child care; and

WHEREAS:

In addition, states are cutting back on the quality of child care they are providing. Since 1981, twenty-four states have reduced funds for training child care workers, thirty-three have lowered the standards for Title XX child care programs, and thirty-two have cut back on the number of child care staff; and

WHEREAS:

Affordable day care is a gross economic problem. Middle-class and two-income families have also felt the financial crunch of expensive child care costs; and

WHEREAS:

Child care is not just a women's or family problem but an employer's problem. The lack of decent, affordable child care has resulted in reduced productivity, increased absenteeism and the inability to recruit good workers; and

WHEREAS:

The rights of child care workers have been violated, causing low morale and higher job turn-over rates among these workers who provide a valuable service to families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That this 27th International Convention support legislation on local, state, and federal levels that would expand and improve child care service, including infant care, information and referral services and before and after school child care programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME recognizes that the increased tax credits for child care enacted in 1981 were useful, but urges a further liberalization of federal income tax law and regulations regarding deductions for child care expenses to expand and target its benefits to low-income parents by:

• Increasing the maximum allowable credit from thirty percent of expenses to fifty percent with the total actual credit allowed determined on a sliding scale according to income.
• Making the tax credit refundable so that parents who do not earn income to pay taxes would be eligible to receive a cash reimbursement for a portion of their child care expenses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME encourage public and private employers and unions to endorse and support the establishment of child care services at or through the workplace for children of their employees. Employers who support this issue will benefit in increased productivity, lower absenteeism, and better recruitment efforts. To this end AFSCME urges affiliates to include child care as part of contract demands where appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME strongly support the concept of employee participation in setting policy in child care centers, and the development of training and career ladder programs for child care workers that recognize child care workers as professionals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME support the reestablishment of strong federal regulations providing national day care standards; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME believes it is in the national interest to support the strengthening of the family unit and calls upon Congress to develop a comprehensive national policy which would provide federal assistance to assure that decent, affordable child care is available to all working parents in the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME educate its members and staff on the needs of workers regarding on-site child care; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME strongly support legislation to allow and encourage high quality latch-key care before and after school in public school buildings and community-based facilities.

SUBMITTED BY:

International Executive Board

Sue King, President
Bev Hermanson, Secretary
Local 443, Council 28
Olympia, Washington

John Birnel, President
Linda D. Sampson, Recording Secretary
Local 843, Council 28
Seattle, Washington

Women's Committees of Councils 24, 40 and 48

Irene Herron-Steeger, Chairperson
Council 24, Madison, Wisconsin

Marcella McCallum, Chairperson
Council 40, Madison, Wisconsin

Paula Dorsey, Chairperson
Council 48, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Joe Kreuser, International Vice President
President, Council 40
Madison, Wisconsin

Marion Porro, President and Delegate
Local 1930, District Council 37
New York, New York