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Thurs 9:25 | California child care providers win key provisions in contract negotiations

Pamela Rocha is a member of the bargaining committee that won a union contract for 60,000 early educators across California. She joins the Exchange to discuss the details and outcomes.

Pamela Rocha has been an in-home child care provider for 17 years and runs Rocha Family Daycare in Greenview, California. She is a United Domestic Workers (UDW) member and served on the bargaining committee for their recent contract with Child Care Providers United.

Key provisions of the contract include:

$37 million ongoing, per year in Cost-of-Living Adjustments

$90 million one-time stabilization payments

$80 million ongoing, per-year retirement funding

$100 million ongoing, per-year health care funding

$15 million ongoing, per-year for training and continuing education

Ability to re-negotiate rate increases if the legislature allocates more money in future budgets

A clearer timeline of reforming provider pay and a commitment to start paying providers at the start of the month to avoid continued issues with end-of-the-month payment delays, leaving providers putting bills on credit cards

Continuing payment by the number of children enrolled in care instead of daily attendance numbers

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Mike Green is host of the Jefferson Exchange. Mike has lived in Southern Oregon for more than two decades. He is an award-winning journalist with over 20 years experience in media, specializing in media innovation, inclusive economics and entrepreneurship.
Natalie Golay is the Senior Producer of the Jefferson Exchange. She has a B.A. in Visual Arts, a certificate of recommendation in multimedia from the Vancouver Film school, and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. A communications professional for over 20 years, Natalie is a natural storyteller with extensive audio and video production skills.