By Doug Cunningham

One man has blocked labor union rights for more than 50,000 home day care workers in New York state. Republican Governor George Pataki vetoed a bill from the state legislature that would have given collective bargaining rights to those workers.

Pataki’s anti-labor action is in stark contrast to Democratic governors in Illinois and Iowa who supported the right of tens of thousands of home day care workers to be represented by unions. Pataki claimed the bill giving these home day care workers union rights may have jeopardized some $315 million in federal block grants for child care programs.

The day care workers often work long hours for low pay caring for young children in their homes. They had sought to form unions to bargain for better wages and working conditions. New York state labor unions supported the bill while business interests in New York opposed it.