CHILD CARE PROVIDERS SCHEDULED TO RATIFY NEW TENTATIVE UNION CONTRACT!

After months of making thousands of phone calls, our overwhelming digital actions, such as sending thousands of emails and sharing social media posts, as well as more than 3,000 of us rallying at the state capitol and going back again and again to Sacramento, we made it clear to Governor Newsom that we weren’t backing down. The result of our organizing and collective power is that he finally listened.

Our elected bargaining team is excited to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement on our new, 2-year contract with the State of California. Our agreement includes a pathway to implement provider payment based on the actual cost of providing care, a subsidy rate increase per child, $80 million for a historic, first-of-its-kind retirement fund, continued money for healthcare, training, and more.

Along with rates and benefits, we won a two-year extension of payment by enrollment, not attendance, and we renegotiated what qualifies as part-time hours, making it more sustainable to care for children.

Our union’s member-elected Negotiation Team, made up of child care providers from across the state, unanimously recommends a YES vote to ACCEPT the Tentative Union Contract.  Read more below to learn about the ratification process and the contents of the Tentative Union Contract.

Only members of CCPU can vote on the Tentative Union Contract. If you are not currently a member or unsure of your status, click here to find your local union. To receive a ballot, you must sign up to become a member by Thursday, July 27 at 4:00 p.m.

Ratification Vote Process and Why It's Important

CCPU’s member-elected Negotiations Team couldn’t be prouder to reach this agreement with the state. It was won with members taking action at the bargaining table, in our communities, online, and at the state capitol.

But for our Tentative Agreement and pay raises to go into effect, Child Care Providers United (CCPU) members must vote to approve it. This process is called ratification.

The CCPU Negotiations Team unanimously recommends a YES vote to ACCEPT the Tentative Union Contract.

If most CCPU members who vote choose YES, we will ratify our new union contract, granting pay raises, retirement benefits, and more to family child care providers across California. If most CCPU members who vote choose NO, then we will reject the Tentative Agreement. We would then continue bargaining, but only after the state has already allocated most of this year’s record budget surplus.

Only union members are eligible to vote. We will hold the ratification process electronically statewide. To participate, a family child care provider must join CCPU by no later than July 27. Click here to find your local union.

Highlights from the Tentative Agreement

Our tentative agreement includes:

  • a pathway to implement payment based on the actual cost of providing care
  • a subsidy rate increase per child
  • $80 million per year for a historic first-of-its-kind retirement fund
  • Continued funding for CCPU Health Care Reimbursement Fund and CCPU Training Fund
  • a two-year extension to payment by enrollment, not attendance
  • Lowered hours per week to qualify for full-time reimbursement allowing more kids to qualify for full-time rates, and more!

Contract expires July 1, 2025

How to Vote

  • The ratification of our Tentative Union Contract will be held online by ElectionBuddy, a secure, third party vendor, and can be done on your mobile phone or personal computer. You will receive your unique ballot link via an email from [email protected] and/or a text message from an 877 or 484 area code. Your ballot will sent to the email address and phone number you provided to your union.Only members of CCPU can vote on the Tentative Union Contract. If you are not a current member or unsure of your status, sign up to become a member here: https://www.childcareprovidersunited.org/find-your-local-union/.NOTE: In order to receive a ballot, you must sign up to become a member by Thursday, July 27 at 4:00 pm.If you have any questions about how to vote, if you’re having trouble voting, or if you’re not sure you’re eligible to vote, please email your union at  [email protected].

Election Timeline

Start date and time: Wednesday, July 19, Time TBA.

Last Day to Become a Member and be able to vote: Thursday, July 27, 4:00 PM

End date and time: Monday, July 31, 4:00 PM

Election Format: Virtual online ballot. Eligible members will receive an email and text message from ELECTION BUDDY to cast one vote to accept or reject the Tentative Union Contract. Look for an email  from [email protected] and/or a text message from an 877 or 484 area code.  One vote per member.

What Will My Rates Be?

The new rates will be based upon your region defined by the state below. Using the form below, you will be able to estimate your new rates.


Rate Increase: beginning January 1, 2024, per-child, per month additional rate amounts shall be as follows:

Region Licensed Family Child Care Providers License-Exempt

Providers

Central $140  $98
Northern $141  $99
Southern $160  $112
Los Angeles $171  $119
Bay Area $211  $148

Central: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, Tulare

Northern: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba

Southern: Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura

Los Angeles

Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma

The Tenative Agreement

NECESSARY to understand the original TA:

o   Words not underlined or crossed-out will be in the new contract

o   Underlined words will be in the new contract

o   Crossed-out words will NOT be in the new contract

CCPU makes this original TA available for our membership ratification vote, and the State Legislature will be provided with the same document for their own ratification of our new contract. A clean version with the agreed-to language only will be available and shared post-ratification.

Read the TA here

If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]

Your Child Care Providers United Negotiations Team