(a) A family child care provider shall not be considered a state employee and shall be exempt from any and all provisions of the general statutes creating rights, obligations, privileges or immunities to state employees as a result of or incident to their state service.

(b) Family child care providers shall have the right to bargain collectively and shall have such other rights and obligations incident thereto as are created by sections 5-270 to 5-279, inclusive, except as set forth in subsections (d) to (g), inclusive, of this section, except:

(1) The following shall be prohibited subjects of bargaining: (A) The application of state employee benefits to family child care providers, including, but not limited to, health benefits and pensions; (B) a parent's right to (i) recruit, (ii) select, (iii) direct the activities of, and (iv) terminate the services of any family child care provider; and (C) a procedure for grievance arbitration against any parent;

(2) No provision of any agreement or award shall provide for a reduction in the services provided by family child care providers to children under section 17b-749;

(3) Any provision in any agreement or award which would require an additional appropriation in order to maintain the levels of services provided by existing appropriations shall be presented to the General Assembly for approval in accordance with the budgetary process set forth in subdivision (8) of subsection (e) of this section;

(4) The provisions of section 5-280 shall not apply to family child care providers. An agreement or award reached pursuant to this section may include provisions calling for the state or its fiscal intermediary to deduct from reimbursement payments regular dues and initiation fees, and nonmember service fees limited to the lesser of regular dues, fees and assessments that a member is charged or the proportionate share of expenses incident to collective bargaining. Dues or fees may be charged only with respect to earnings from participation in the child care subsidy program established pursuant to section 17b-749. No dues or fees may be charged for the first sixty days of a family child care provider's participation in a child care subsidy program established pursuant to section 17b-749;

(5) The provisions of sections 5-276a and 5-276b and subsections (b) to (g), inclusive, of section 5-278 shall not apply to collective bargaining involving family child care providers. Any impasse between the parties shall be resolved in accordance with subsection (e) of this section;

(6) In any proceeding which may be filed under section 5-272, the State Board of Labor Relations shall be without jurisdiction to consider any complaint against, or issue any remedy against, any parent; and

(7) Any election required in order to resolve any question concerning representation involving family child care providers shall be conducted by mail ballot. No provision of this section shall grant family child care providers a right to strike and such strikes are prohibited.

(c) On or after July 1, 2014, and monthly thereafter, the Commissioner of Early Childhood shall compile a list of the names of family child care providers who have participated in the child care subsidy program established pursuant to section 17b-749 within the previous six calendar months. Such list shall be considered a public record, as defined in section 1-200.

(d) For purposes of sections 4-65a and 5-270 and subsection (a) of section 5-278, the Office of Early Childhood shall be considered an executive branch employer and an organization representing family child care providers that has been designated by the State Board of Labor Relations, pursuant to section 5-275 or subsection (g) of this section, as the exclusive bargaining agent of such providers, shall have the right to bargain concerning the terms and conditions of participation of family child care providers in the program covered by this section, including, but not limited to, (1) state reimbursement rates, (2) benefits, (3) payment procedures, (4) contract grievance arbitration, and (5) training, professional development and other requirements and opportunities appropriate for family child care providers.

(e) (1) If the organization representing family child care providers and the Office of Early Childhood do not reach an agreement not later than one hundred fifty days after negotiations have begun, the parties shall jointly select an arbitrator. The arbitrator selected shall have experience as an impartial arbitrator of labor-management disputes, and shall not be an individual employed as an advocate or consultant for labor or management in labor-management disputes. If the parties fail to agree on an arbitrator not later than one hundred sixty days after negotiations have begun, the selection of the arbitrator shall be made using the procedures under the voluntary labor arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association.

(2) Each party shall submit to the arbitrator, and to each other, a proposal setting forth such party's position on how each of the unresolved issues shall be resolved.

(3) The arbitrator shall convene a hearing to allow the parties to provide evidence and argument to the arbitrator. The parties shall have the right to submit written briefs to the arbitrator. The arbitration record shall be officially closed at the close of the hearing, or the arbitrator's receipt of briefs, whichever is later.

(4) The arbitrator's authority is limited to selecting the complete proposal of one party or the other on any unresolved issue. The arbitrator shall issue an award not later than forty-five days after the close of the record.

(5) The factors to be considered by the arbitrator in arriving at a decision are: (A) The nature and needs of the family child care program and the needs and welfare of parents and children served by that program, including interests in better recruitment, retention and quality with respect to the covered family child care provider; (B) the history of negotiations between the parties including those leading to the instant proceeding; (C) the existing conditions of employment of similar groups of workers; (D) changes in the cost of living; and (E) the interests and welfare of the covered family child care providers.

(6) The costs of the arbitrator and any fees associated with the arbitration proceeding shall be shared equally by the parties.

(7) Any agreement or award reached pursuant to this section shall be submitted to the General Assembly for approval by filing the agreement or award with the clerks of the House and Senate. No provision of any agreement or award resulting from the collective bargaining process which would require supercedence of any law or regulation shall take effect without affirmative legislative approval.

(8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any provision in any agreement or award which would require an additional appropriation in order to maintain the levels of services provided by existing appropriations shall be presented to the General Assembly for approval in accordance with the budgetary process applicable to appropriations, including, but not limited to, affirmative legislative approval. Other provisions of the agreement or award shall be deemed approved unless affirmatively rejected by a majority of either house not later than thirty days after the filing with the clerk of that chamber, provided the thirty-day period shall not begin or expire unless the General Assembly is in regular session. Once approved by the General Assembly, any provision of an agreement or award need not be resubmitted by the parties to such agreement or award as part of a future agreement approval process unless changes in the language of such provision are negotiated by the parties.

(f) The only bargaining unit of family child care providers appropriate for the purpose of collective bargaining shall be a state-wide unit of all family child care providers.

(g) Any provider organization certified as the majority representative of family child care providers in any election held prior to July 1, 2012, pursuant to Executive Order Number 9 of Governor Dannel P. Malloy may provide proof of such certification to the State Board of Labor Relations and the State Board of Labor Relations shall certify such majority representative as the exclusive bargaining agent for such providers without the requirement of an additional election unless and until such time as a question concerning representation is appropriately raised under this section and section 17b-705.

(P.A. 12-33, S. 2; P.A. 14-39, S. 22.)

History: P.A. 12-33 effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 14-39 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “2012” with “2014” and “Social Services” with “Early Childhood”, amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “Department of Social Services” with “Office of Early Childhood” and deleting “with the state” re right to bargain and amended Subsec. (e)(1) by replacing “Department of Social Services” with “Office of Early Childhood”, effective July 1, 2014.