Minn. Senate passes day care unionization bill

Published On: May 15 2013 11:07:36 AM CDT
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -

The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill allowing the unionization of home child-care workers in Minnesota after an all-night debate that saw Republicans trying to block the bill.

The Senate finally voted just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. The bill passed on a vote of 35 to 32, with four majority Democrats voting with Republicans against it. The bill heads to the House, where the earliest it could get a vote is Saturday.

The bill grants two groups of workers the right to vote on whether to form unions. In addition to home child-care workers, it sets a union vote for personal care attendants to the elderly and disabled.

Republicans say unionization is not popular among those groups and charge the bill is meant to benefit the Democratic Party's labor allies.