On Tuesday Chris Hernandez from NBC Action News in Kansas City reported how a new AFSCME child care union CCPT surprised a number of child care providers in Kansas:

Child care providers across the state of Kansas say they’re surprised to learn they have a new voice in the state capitol.

Some say they want nothing to do with it.

The new voice is a union is called Child Care Providers Together.

Despite recent budget cuts to existing programs for children, state officials gave the union $1.5 million dollars in stimulus funding.   …

In January we reported  former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed an executive order to enable this unionization in Kansas:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius helped the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) unionize as many as 7000 family child care providers.

Her 2007 executive order authorized the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) to enter into an agreement with the AFSCME Kansas’ Child Care Providers Together union.

• Kansas state agencies push union membership on day-care providers, Kansas Liberty, March 31, 2010.
• Are You My Employer?, Mackinac Center, March 4, 2010.  [video]
• Whose Business Is It Anyway?, John Stossel, Fox News, Feb 11, 2010.  [video]   Alternative video source
• Day Care Union Scheme in Michigan Part of Union Push Nationwide, Watchdog.org, Feb. 11, 2010.
• State Legislators Concerned Over Forced Unionization of Private Business Owners, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Jan 19, 2010.
• Gov. Sebelius assisted AFSCME-CCPT in unionizing child care providers in Kansas, Kansas Watchdog, Jan. 13, 2010.
• Controversy grows over SEIU request for provider names and addresses from State of Kansas, Kansas Watchdog, Sept 10, 2009.