"We had a hard time when the university came tothe table saying child care wasn't theirresponsibility, but that it was the responsibilityof the government," says District 65 organizerMaida Rosenstein of Columbia.
But by 1988, the Columbia union got $40,000 ayear to cover any child care needs of its 1100workers.
The Columbia contract set precedent for otherunion contracts on the issue of child care,experts say. "I don't know of any other unioncontract that has a straight child care subsidy,"says Rosenstein.
Indeed, after two contracts, the Yale clericaland technical workers still do not have anyprovisions for child care.
Universities have been wary to commit to along-term agreement to cover child care costsbecause they fear its skyrocketing rise, accordingto both administrators and union officials.
But this wariness of employer-funded day carehas not always been so firmly entrenched in theminds of management, labor experts say.
When large numbers of women first entered theworkforce in droves during World War II, childcare was viewed as the responsibility ofmanagement, as it was too costly for women toleave the assembly line if their child was sick.
"In the '30s and '40s, there were 24-hourcomprehensive centers," says Carol Keyes, a leaderof the National Coalition for Child Care. "Whenthere's a crisis, as there was during the war, wedo something."
And in the 1960s, after family structure hadbegun to change, the Carnegie Commission on thestatus of women came out with a report that saidchild care was necessary for equal opportunity inhigher education.
Yet labor contracts have only recently begun toreflect the changes of the workforce and thecorresponding need for increased day care,parental leave and flexible work-time.
"It's only become a priority issue for unionsin recent years since women are making up anincreasing portion of the workforce, and childcare has typically been the mother'sresponsibility," says an AFSCME researcher.
A few recent labor contracts have set precedentin this area. For example, the union at AT&T justsettled a contract that has been hailed by laborexperts as highly progressive in the area offamily care.
Workers will benefit from a $5 million fund forchild care and care for elderly relatives. Inaddition, employees get coverage for theirchildren's medical and dental bills.
Rondeau and others acknowledge the impact ofthe AT&T contract, saying that because of the sizeof its bargaining unit, the phone company hasbroken new ground. "It's a lot more than a food inthe door," Rondeau says.
The next foot in the door which Rondeau hasprojected for the labor movement is Harvard's owncontract. And labor experts agree that theUniversity's accommodation--or disagreement--withthe union's family issues platform could herald anew stage in the ongoing organization of thealmost all-female, "pink-collar" workforce.
As Keyes says, "Harvard could be a beacon inthis arena."