The DFL’s mulligan on the Care Provider Union Jamdown bill worked this time.
This story is from Demko at the MinnPost:
The vote came just two days after the bill, sponsored by Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, stalled in the finance committee on an 11-11 vote. Two Senate DFLers — Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka, and Barb Goodwin of Columbia Heights — joined all Republicans in voting against the controversial measure, which could affect upwards of 20,000 workers.
On the second vote, Bonoff joined her fellow DFLers in voting in favor of sending it to the floor. Goodwin again voted against the proposal.
Bonoff’s explanation was an early-morning chuckle:
Bonoff made it clear that her vote was not an indication that she supports the unionization proposal. “Make no mistake, I’m not changing where I stand on this bill,” she said.
But Republicans argued that a vote to move the bill to the floor — even without any recommendation — was no different than voting in favor of it. “Don’t fool yourself,” said Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R- Paynesville. “This is just like voting yes.”
The DFL are in a jam, of course; if the unions don’t get thousands of new dues-paying members, stat, the DFL’s major non-Alida-Messinger, non-plutocrat funding stream dries up solid pretty quick here.
If it stalls anywhere else, look for DFL legislators to go on hunger strikes, and then start taking hostages.
I almost wrote “more hostages”, but that’d be a little dramatic.
Wouldn’t it?
It should be noted that daycare does fit one of the criteria for unions making sense; the state is THE major payer for daycare. So since apparently the state is unjust in its compensation of daycare providers, the state needs to allow them to unionize so they can….oh, never mind.
Seriously, my former next door neighbor, who provides daycare to toddlers through K, was hit hard by the state shutdown a couple of years back. State daycare subsidies for the poor and middle class are a big deal.