Teacher Unions for Childcare workers?

http://meceu.org/

Ok, so the link above is for the MECEU, which is attempting to initiate a union for Early Childhood Educators. I am on the fence, just kidding, there's no reason this should not be enacted!

Pros of Union Labor-
Collective negotiations for wages and benefits with greater success than asking on your own

Cons of Union Labor-
Sometimes wages can end up raised to unrealistically high levels which ends up creating greater costs for the product, in this case, care for children (honestly, I don't think there is enough money in the world to have your child well cared for).

Then there are strikes, which I don't know if they are pros or cons really. What are your thoughts?

I foresee a Union as a good thing here. In Massachusetts, the average mean income in 2008, according to the U.S. census bureau, was $65,304, while the average income for a childcare worker is $32,120 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2009). Maybe this is due to women still being underpaid, and 98% of early childhood educators being female (http://www.pay-equity.org/PDFs/ProfWomen.pdf).

With the requirements necessary to work in childcare in Massachusetts (http://www.mass.gov/Eoedu/docs/EEC/prof_development/eec_certificationapp.pdf) is it worth the trouble to make the same amount of money as an entry level retail or food service worker who had to meet little to no prerequisites for their job?

Then, is it fair for the children to be cared for by people who are excessively stressed with their issues due to living in or near the poverty line. Many of them have multiple jobs or work unreasonable hours to make up for the lack of pay they get, which can cause them to be overtired, irritable, or just not aware of what they are even doing. The increased stress also has an impact on their health. Increased stress=lower immune system. Do the math:
Low immune system+hours with often ill children=teachers needing time off, money for medicine or health care, or having to work while sick.
The latter is more common as childcare facilities are often understaffed or just staffed enough to function, and many teachers just can't miss a minute on their paycheck.

In a study done by the National Institute for Early Education Researchabout Pre-K teachers salaries it was found that The highest median hourly wages were reported by teachers in Maryland ($29.07), Pennsylvania ($28.19), Michigan ($27.62), and New York ($25.32) all states where a large proportion of programs are in public schools. The lowest median hourly wages were reported by teachers in Florida ($10.07), New Mexico ($10.96), Hawaii ($12.66), and Massachusetts ($12.95). They also found that 14% of teachers reported an annual salary below the federal poverty threshold, and 71% earned a salary less than 200 % of the federal poverty threshold, a measure widely regarded as the line below which families are considered low-income. In 11 of the nations 52 statewide prekindergarten systems, more than one-third of the teachers earned a salary below the federal poverty threshold, the worst being Alaska (59 percent below the poverty level), Florida (46 percent), Washington (44 percent) and Delaware (42 percent).

As a teacher in Massachusetts, making a mere 10$/hr with 7+ years of experience as a teacher 4 years as an assistant director, and a proud owner of BA in Psych., I can attest that preschool teaching is not earning a living. If it were not for my love of working with children and my loyalty to my employer, I would run far away right now. Instead, I am attempting to find ways to make changes in the industry and trying to find other ways to make money. No luck with that so far, but I don't give up easily.