Amid a sea of mostly green T-shirts, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 788 into law June 25, making bargaining rights for child care providers a part of state law.

The signing ceremony culminated an intense two-year journey into unionism for many child care providers who in 2004 never dreamed they’d be covered under Oregon law.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” three different providers whispered as Kulongoski put ink to paper.

SB 788 codifies into Oregon law the same bargaining rights provided by an Executive Order signed last year by Kulongoski. However, as any future governor could trump Kulongoski’s order with a counter-order of his or her own, getting the language from Kulongoski’s order adopted into state law under his watch was a primary focus all session long for both AFSCME and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Oregon AFSCME, under the banner Child Care Providers Together, has the representational rights for about 4,400 registered and certified child care providers statewide. Registered or certified providers can typically oversee between four and 16 children, depending on the size of their facility and other factors. SEIU has the representational rights to licensed exempt providers, who can only oversee three or less children. The two unions worked together to pass SB 788 through the arduous legislative process, and providers (and children) from both unions were on hand to witness Kulongoski’s historic signature.

It’s a new area of representation for both unions and a new concept for many legislators.

“These providers are sort of ‘hidden,’ but a vital part of our local economies,” said Oregon AFSCME Executive Director Ken Allen. “They’re watching our children so other people can go to work.”

Marian McDonald is President of AFSCME Local 132, which represents the AFSCME/CCPT providers statewide. She traveled from Portland to watch the quick signing ceremony.

“This is just wonderful,” she said. “It’s unbelievable how far we’ve come so quickly.”

Allen praised Council 75 Political Coordinator Janice O’Malley, who shepherded SB 788 through the 2007 Oregon Legislature.

“Janice did a great job on this issue,” he said.

With SB 788 becoming law, Oregon is on the cutting edge. Two states – Illinois and Washington – already have bargaining laws for child care providers, and a handful of other states are considering the issue. Oregon is now the third state to pass such a statute. Moreover, the pattern of success established by Council 75 and Local 132 is serving as a model for other AFSCME Councils nationally.