BY SANDERS KENNEDY
Thousands of childcare workers in New York City will receive a wage increase due to a tentative agreement reached between a local daycare union and city daycare officials.
On October 16, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, District Council 37 (DC 37) and the Day Care Council of New York (DCCNY) announced a tentative five-year contract agreement at City Hall. The DCCNY, which represents childcare facilities, and DC 37, a local union that represents childcare employees, signed a contract that would raise the minimum wage from $16 for early childcare workers to $18, along with other benefits. The agreement covers non-profit daycare programs that are contracted by the New York City Department of Education (DOE).
“Working families cannot thrive without childcare, and to build a strong childcare system in this city, we must invest in the New Yorkers who make it run every day,” said Mayor Adams at City Hall. “I am thrilled DC 37 and the DCCNY have reached an agreement that will deliver well earned-raises and establish a strong minimum wage for thousands of hard-working New Yorkers. With this agreement, we are helping put more money back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers and investing in our childcare system for years to come.”
This agreement provides compounded retroactive wage increases of 16.21 percent, with the first annual 3 percent increase applied from October 1, 2022. It will also provide a one-time $2,000 bonus to each employee and a $1,000 per employee contribution towards health insurance for child care workers, according to a press release.
“The hardworking, compassionate, and talented individuals in early childhood education are truly New York City’s unsung heroes,” said Tara N. Gardner, executive director of DCCNY, in a statement. “Their expertise and dedication enable childcare centers to provide the high-quality education and care our youngest New Yorkers deserve.”
DCCNY represents over 120 private agencies that run more than 250 childcare centers and family childcare programs across New York City, both publicly and privately funded.
“We also fought for health care and education funding that will help our members take care of their own families and advance in their careers,” said Henry Garrido, executive director, DC 37 in a statement. DC 37 is the largest public employee union in NYC, according to the union’s website.
According to the NYC government website (NYC.GOV), the median salary for New Yorkers stands at $108,700. In contrast, the median salary for daycare workers in NYC, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is only $37,970. This disparity highlights that daycare workers earn nearly 200% less than the average New Yorker.
Susan Kim, a daycare worker in Brooklyn, NY, expressed her excitement at being financially recognized for the time and energy that she puts into her job. “This is long overdue, but I’m happy to see that my hard work is finally being recognized,” said Kim. During her free time, she works as a food deliverer. “I’m gonna keep delivering food because I make good money. The pay increase won’t be enough for me to stop.”
Daycare programs run by community-based organizations that are contracted by DOE have spoken out about the discrepancy in wages compared to their counterparts who work in early childhood programs run by the DOE itself. Contracted daycare programs run year-round for 225 to 260 days a year and operate 8 to 10 hours per day. This contrasts with the DOE calendar of run 180 days running from September through June and operating six hours and 20 minutes a day, according to NYC Public School InfoHub. The tentative agreement includes requirements for daycare workers in “Extended Day and Year Programs” to receive extra payments each summer, and longevity-based payments on tenure will also be reinstated after being halted over a decade ago.