Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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With the Iowa House deadlocked and Speaker Pat Murphy vowing to stay in his seat and keep the vote open through the weekend, Rep. Geri Huser is in a unique position.
The conservative Democrat from Altoona was traveling out of state Friday and missed the vote, making her the only Democrat still technically undecided. She is expected by most observers to cast a “no” vote, but the possibility remains that Huser could still defy expectations and become the 51st vote in favor of prevailing wage.
Huser was one of three legislative Democrats who faced a primary in 2008. She easily defeated Matt Ballard, a Teamsters leader whose campaign was based almost entirely on Huser’s opposition to union legislation. She was unopposed in the general election.
She also ran unopposed in 2006, and, in 2004, she won the general election with more than 60 percent of the vote. Since her district could be considered safe, she could have the political cover necessary to change her mind and support the prevailing wage measure.
Huser has been a vocal critic of so-called “Fair Share” legislation, which would allow unions to negotiate to collect fees in lieu of membership dues from employees covered by collective bargaining but who don’t belong to the union. In general, she is seen as a conservative, pro-business Democrat.
But last year, she voted in favor of the labor-backed collective-bargaining legislation that passed by a razor-thin margin and was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Chet Culver. So Huser’s record on labor issues is not completely one-sided.
Prevailing wage, which would set minimum pay and benefit standards for workers of public projects, is one of the most contentious measures lawmakers have considered so far this year, but it was thought to be somewhat less contentious than other labor bills that have been discussed in the context of this year’s session.
Debate on the bill stretched out over five hours Friday. Democratic Rep. McKinley Bailey was expected to be the 51st vote, but an amendment he sought was not included in the legislation, so he voted no and abruptly left the statehouse.
Huser, who was stripped of her position as chair of a committee before the 2009 session began, has already expressed opposition to the prevailing wage bill, but she is sure to garner a lot of attention over the weekend from Democratic leaders seeking a way out of what’s shaping up to be an embarrassing loss.
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