By AP
LANSING, MI –
The Michigan Court of Appeals again has rejected a lawsuit seeking to stop the unionization of 40,000 at-home child-care providers.
The appeals court says the Department of Human Services can't ignore the results of a certified union election. But the court also said Thursday there are other options, including a new lawsuit with different defendants.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy sued on behalf of three women who say the union is illegal because child-care providers are independent business owners, not public employees.
The United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees get slightly more than 1 percent of the millions in state subsidies paid to providers.
A separate lawsuit is pending in federal court.