Dayton: Process worked in child care union rejection

Gov. Mark Dayton says he was never judging whether a statewide child care union was needed in Minnesota. He just wanted to make sure government-subsidized providers had a chance to vote.

In results announced Tuesday, eligible providers rejected a union by a more than two-to-one margin.

Dayton, who signed the legislation that allowed the union drive to move forward, told reporters Wednesday that he simply wanted the vote to take place. He said the results justify that stance.

“People should have a right to vote, decide for themselves whether or not they want to form a union," Dayton said. “I’m proud that we allow that right here in Minnesota, and I think we entirely should. Regardless of which outcome occurs, that process has been properly served.”

Dayton initially tried to authorize the vote by executive order in 2011, when Republicans controlled the House and Senate. Opponents filed a lawsuit, and a judge ruled in their favor. In 2013, the DFL-controlled Legislature passed a measure to allow the vote. The law is set to expire in 2017.

Republicans claimed Dayton and DFL lawmakers were pushing the issue as a way to pay back their union allies.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, said this week that his caucus will now push to repeal the 2013 law that authorized the unionization vote.

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