Help Growing Seeds Union Members on Furlough!

Growing Seeds Learning Community is a series oof child development centers with three locations in Portland, OR. On March 11th, 2020 Growing Seeds Workers voted 90% in favor of unionizing. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis which has come from it has devastated the lives of workers across the world, including many child care workers. Through a combination of low staffing and classroom numbers for the sake of social distancing, increasing school and classroom shutdowns due to the spread of COVID-19 in schools, few protections for child care workers, dwindling unemployment benefits, and chronic inaction on the part of the federal government, many child care workers who already live paycheck to paycheck under regular circumstances, find themselves experiencing severe financial struggle. 

Recently, workers at Growing Seeds Irvington were furloughed without pay. As the pandemic continues, more and more childcare workers will find themselves in situations like this. As a union our top priority is supporting workers. We are becoming increasingly  aware  that child care workers will continue to find themselves in unstable financial conditions as the pandemic continues to affect the field overall. It is because of this that we are endeavoring to establish a Worker Relief Fund.

Below is testimony from workers on how the recent unpaid furlough has affected them: 

"I have been calling unemployment several times every day for the past week. All I get is a busy signal, and their online form just says they can't find me"

"I haven't been able to get unemployment and if I wasn't nannying for a family I wouldn't have money for food or rent, and I'm still short for rent"

"I've been struggling with the unemployment situation and had to make payment arrangements for the utilities and don't even have enough for my phone bill. It's a very stressful and tight situation for me "

"I can share that I myself am in a tough spot with rent coming up as well as my phone bill. I moved about a month ago & my new place costs significantly more than what I used to pay. So any help, would be greatly appreciated. "

We are asking our community to help us raise $25,000 to help support furloughed and unpaid Growing Seeds workers, now and later. This money will go directly to Growing Seeds workers who have lost or will lose pay due to the pandemic. We are so grateful to our community for its support and continued dedication to the idea  that child care workers deserve safety and security. 

Thank you for your solidarity,
The Growing Seeds Workers Union
Portland, OR