Stories

After my report earlier today about the outlook for organized labor going into 2010, one unanswered political question remains: After Democratic majorities failed to move key components of organized labor’s agenda from 2007 to 2009, will national labor groups continue to direct resources to Iowa Democrats, or will they move on to other states where [...]

“I like to think that good legislation gets passed regardless of whether it is an election year or not,” said Marcia Nichols, political and legislative director for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61.

One year after revelations of exploitative and abusive work practices at the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant made national headlines and shook the consciousness of the Jewish community, Uri L’Tzedek (Awaken to Justice), an Orthodox social justice movement, is publicly launching an ethical seal for kosher eating establishments.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who sponsored a bill making it easier for unions to organize, said a lack of support in the Senate would likely cause the Employee Free Choice Act to be altered.
Harkin told Bloomberg News that the provision of the bill that would give workers the right to unionize as soon as a [...]

Despite some efforts to cast the long nights at the capitol this weekend as a sneaky way for Democratic leaders to push through their agenda, no major policy surprises emerged from the waning hours of the 2009 legislative session.

With an end to the 2009 legislative session in sight, Republicans are warning supporters that several contentious bills involving labor protections and tax code changes are not as dead as it once seemed.

A bill expanding the scope of collective bargaining for Iowa’s public sector employees will be debated tonight by the House Appropriations Committee.
An earlier version of House File 794 cleared the House Labor Committee March 12, making it eligible for debate later in the session. The legislation allows public employees to negotiate a wider range of [...]

The state’s $6 billion budget and a $600 million tax system overhaul are still in the works, but legislative leaders are holding out hope the session could adjourn as early as Friday.

Though Democrats in Iowa had a heck of a time enacting ‘prevailing wage’ requirements for public works projects at the state level this year, a similar federal proposal has faced considerably less controversy.
In fact, it is a Republican, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who is overseeing the expansion of the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act for President Barack [...]

When news broke that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., had officially reversed his position on legislation he once co-sponsored making it easier for labor unions to organize, a prediction from Iowa’s senior senator seemed to be proven right.
Two weeks ago, Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley said the bill, known as the Employee Free Choice Act [...]