Foster Families to Unionize

Washington State foster families have unionized, report the Tri-City Herald:

OLYMPIA -- Washington foster parents are the first in the nation to join a labor union, a move that paves the way for them to seek collective bargaining rights with state government.

In a letter to the state, the Foster Parents Association of Washington State said it was aligning with state government's largest union, the Washington Federation of State Employees, to improve a foster care system "in crisis."

"Children placed in the foster care system have increasingly serious behavioral issues and turnover among front line social workers and foster parents is too high," the letter dated May 12 said. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Thursday.

The public-at-large goes apoplectic whenever teachers go on strike. Can you imagine the reaction if a "caring" adult said, "Take these abused kids out of my house until you pay me more money!"?