E-mails show stealth unionization of Michigan home day care workers, midwived by Granholm administration, designed to set up money conduit from DHS to unions

The organization set up as the employer of 40,000 home-based day care workers, some of whom were unionized without their knowledge, was a union-driven experiment without legal or administrative precedence that had the support of the state's Executive Office, according to a batch of e-mails involving union members and the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council.

One e-mail suggests that the MHBCCC's true role was to act as a shell corporation simply charged with moving money from the Department of Human Services to employee unions.

The e-mails, included in a Freedom of Information request by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, reveal a terse discussion between the employee unions and members of the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council over the handling of union dues collected.

In a convoluted set up, the Michigan Department of Human Services and Mott Community College got together to create the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council (MHBCCC) as the employer of home-based day care workers. The state says there are as many as 70,000 home-based day care workers. Those that collect money from the state for low-income clients are included in the union. The MHBCCC negotiates with the day care union Child Care Providers Together Michigan. The MHBCCC collected $2.5 million in union dues in 2009, according to its financial statement.

The Mackinac Center filed a lawsuit against the Department of Human Services after some day care providers complained that they were unionized against their will.

The most revealing e-mails are from Nick Ciaramitaro, director of legislation and public policy for AFSCME Council 25.

His e-mails suggest that the MHBCCC's true role was not to improve day care conditions but to facilitate union negotiations and the transfer of money from the Department of Human Services to unions.

Unionization of MI day care workers under review

The shell corporation created by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration and labor allies to shanghai 40,000 home-based day care providers into a union has "no authority to set rates or provide benefits," according to the Detroit Free Press.

Some $3.7 million in "dues" is taken from small-business owners who operate day cares in their homes. The money comes out of subsidy checks the contractors receive from the state on behalf of low-income parents who hire home-based child care operators while they work or attend school.

"I don't work for the state. I work for my families," Michelle Berry, a day care owner from Flint, told the Free press.

Berry is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. It is now before the Michigan Supreme Court.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Human Services will meet today at 12:30 p.m. It continues to seek answers as to why the DHS is still operating the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council despite cutting its funding. The Senate Committee on Families and Human Services will meet at 2:30 p.m. today to discuss legislation that would end the forced unionization of home-based day care owners.

Not even the Legislature has been able to kill the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council

Some 40,000 home day care providers in Michigan are trying to figure out how they became "members" of the Michigan Home Based Child Care Council.

Why? Because this was the crucial step in a process that resulted in their being designated as state employees and dues payers to public employee unions.

The MIchigan Legislature tried to disrupt things by defunding the Council, which was set up by the Granholm administration. Ordinarily, defunding is a mortal step, but this time it didn't work.

The Council keeps right on counciling and the providers keep having their union dues withheld from payments made by the state for caring for the handicapped.

To see a fascinating video on this caper, click on the headline of this post.