Iowa's government consistently favors bosses over workers. It's time for a change.
Why do we tolerate our state government consistently choosing to allow, or even encourage, Iowa’s bosses to take money away from Iowa’s workers?
Can you imagine our recently-celebrated Labor Day becoming a holiday today? A holiday to celebrate workers and the union movement? Although unions are more popular than they have been in half a century, union membership has not increased to match. That isn’t the environment that usually gets a group holiday-level recognition.
To be fair, it’s understandable that today’s workers might be leery of unionization. It is illegal to retaliate against workers for attempting to join forces to negotiate with their employer. Nevertheless, employers have a tendency to suddenly discover that once-top-performers are just not cutting it when they begin talking about unions. Or employers just happen to realize that a store location needs to close immediately when unionization is on the table. Or employers suddenly transfer employees who are working toward unionization to new locations.
And here in Iowa, the Republican-controlled state government would never create a holiday dedicated to workers. Instead, it has spent the last five years consistently choosing bosses’ comforts over workers’ livelihoods. It has:
Made it illegal for public sector unions to bargain for health insurance, leaves of absence, supplemental pay, and transfer and evaluation processes. (Certain public safety unions are exempt.)
Made it illegal for cities or county governments to raise the minimum wage locally. Iowa’s minimum wage of $7.25 has not been increased since 2008. Had it kept up with inflation, it would be $10.17 today.
Cut income taxes, with 35% of the tax reductions going to 2% of Iowa’s population, the ones making more than $250,000 (in other words, the bosses). This will take funds away from state government functions, particularly public schools, the bulk of the state budget. The high-income earners who have had their taxes so dramatically reduced can certainly afford to send their kids to private schools. Can you?
Cut back the number of weeks of unemployment insurance payments from 26 (the national standard) to 16. And it added a requirement that, after only one week of looking for a new job, workers must accept a significantly lower-paying job if offered one. Unemployment insurance is an earned benefit that is paid only to employees who lose jobs through no fault of their own (e.g., in a layoff caused by a company’s poor management). Iowa’s governor and legislature took away this insurance and the security it provided for workers to give a multi-layered cash gift to bosses, not only taking money out of workers’ pockets but forcing them to accept lowball offers if they are let go by irresponsible employers.
All of these changes have taken place against a backdrop of the state almost completely ignoring bosses who steal wages from workers. 1 in 7 Iowa workers has been a victim of wage theft. Bosses steal from workers by paying less than the legal minimum wage, stealing tips, or refusing to pay what they owe for overtime. Out of every $1,000 stolen, only $2 is recovered. Those are numbers we would never tolerate from government agents working to recover stolen cash or goods taken from the homes of the wealthy.
So why do we tolerate our state government consistently choosing to allow, or even encourage, Iowa’s bosses to take money away from Iowa’s workers? 2022 seems like a good year for change. Pay close attention to what your state legislators say and how they vote. Are your state representatives on your side, or on your boss’s? If they are on your boss’s side, your best move is to channel the spirit of Labor Day: join forces with your fellow-workers and find someone who will improve your working conditions.
Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa.
Learn more about labor rights at https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/ or https://www.nlrb.gov/.
A version of this piece was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on September 16, 2022.