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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Iowa Gov. Chet Culver warned legislative leaders on Tuesday that he may veto a Democrat-supported bill passed last week that makes sweeping changes to state collective bargaining law if more public input isn’t sought. Culver’s comments came at a press conference on Tuesday morning with statehouse reporters. He expressed disappointment at the pace in which the bill was ramrodded through the Legislature and said the Democratic leadership had done little to seek consensus with Republicans on the issue.
The Iowa Senate passed the bill on Monday by a vote of 27-23. Three Democrats joined the Senate’s 20 Republicans in voting against the bill.
On Monday, Culver called on the Senate Democrats to delay the vote so that Iowans could fully explore the ramifications of the proposed changes.
“I believe it’s crystal clear more time is necessary for all Iowans to have a chance to better understand this proposed legislation and be more involved in the process,” Culver said.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think, to date, a genuine effort to find consensus and common ground through constructive dialogue and discussion has occurred.”
Last week, Culver’s press secretary issued a statement saying the governor hadn’t decided whether he will sign the bill into law.
Although Republicans in both chambers were successful in slowing down passage of the bill, its fate has been all but certain from the time that the controversial, sweeping amendment was attached to an innocuous bill last Tuesday. The amendment, introduced in the Iowa House by state Rep. Rick Olson, D-Des Moines, gives unions the ability to request an arbitrator rule on a laundry list of issues, from pay and benefits to uniforms to vacation time to the scope of their job requirements.
Republicans have argued that the bill gives unions too much clout in contract negotiations and places additional burden on taxpayers who will have to foot the additional costs. Democrats have countered by saying that similar legislation has been successfully enacted in 27 states without bankrupting local government. Republicans have been equally vocal about the speed and timing of the debate, which took place on Easter week, a time when many of the elected officials it will affect, particularly school administrators, are on spring break.
The disagreement led to unusual procedural moves in both chambers last week that frayed nerves as lawmakers worked to complete work before the Easter break. In the House, Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, and other Republicans tacked 41 amendments onto Olson’s amendment as a way of trying to vet the legislation. The House debated roughly half the proposed changed before the Democratic leadership used a procedural rule to limit debate on the remaining issues and force a vote.
In the Senate, Republicans asked the Democratic majority for public hearings on the measure and, when they were turned down, threatened to spend the Easter weekend in caucus, which would force the body to stay in session. Republicans spent all night Thursday in caucus before Democrats agreed to delay the vote until Monday.
Culver said in his statement on Monday that the course of the debate was much different than one he urged lawmakers to follow during his condition of the state address in January.
“I challenged the Legislature to try to find consensus, and to not be afraid to debate difficult labor-management issues. I said then that Iowa has always had a tradition of fairness in the workplace, and that Republicans and Democrats proved this when they joined together in a bipartisan effort to pass the state’s first collective bargaining law,” Culver said.
“Our predecessors showed great courage when they found consensus on this, and so many other important labor-management issues. I believe, if we try, we can too,” he said.
In the statement, Culver said it is imperative that local governments and school boards feel like they had a voice in the process. “Upon review by my Administration, I continue to have concerns about making sure that members of the legislative and executive branches, as well as local governments and school boards, fully understand the substance of and potential fiscal impacts of this legislation. This is why more time is necessary for all involved to understand and consider this proposal, to weigh in, and to make necessary changes.”
Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Monday that the debate was thorough and pointed out that Culver had spent much of the week out of state and hadn’t had a chance to follow the discussion.
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