“The first step is, we’re going to deal with collective bargaining for public employee unions ‘cause you use divide and conquer.”

– WI Gov. Scott Walker May 10, 2012

 

“Mr. 1% isn’t looking out for Iowa’s 99%”
Iowa AFL-CIO President Ken Sagar on the Mitt Romney Campaign Visit to Des Moines

Romney and Bain on the steel industry and Middle Class Jobs

The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, in response to the House passage of the Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill:

Well, the Legislature has gone home. Let's hope its for good. The session ended in both the Iowa House and Senate bringing up for floor debate alternative versions of property tax cuts for commercial and industrial businesses. The main differences were that the Senate version focused on tax credits, while the House had a much deeper permanent tax cut aimed at bigger corporations. The House bill passed that chamber, but failed in the Senate in amendment form. The Senate version didn't reach a constitutional majority for passage, with two democrats voting no. Governor Branstad has indicated that he may bring them back for a special session later this year.

Compromises were also worked out on mental health reform and the final budget bill, which was funding for Health and Human Services. Republicans in the House had attached language that would have outlawed funding of any kind for any services provided by Planned Parenthood. Eventually that provision was eliminated, and the chambers came to an agreement (one that even gave union child care providers a 2% increase.) Mental health reform will be a challenge to see exactly how it will play out in real world terms. Thankfully there is language in the bill that the IFL and other unions fought for that made sure that no one would lose their IPERS or collective bargaining rights in the event of a reorganization of mental health services provided by counties.

Now the task becomes making sure that we can build a pro-worker majority in both chambers. While we've seen this year the Iowa Senate is willing to step up for labor, the Iowa House will not under its current makeup. I don't think its impossible to take the House, but we've all got to work very hard. With Terry Branstad still our Governor, I hesitate to even guess how bad it could be if he had the ability to push his agenda through the Iowa Legislature.

AFL President Trumka comments on the April Jobs report

Republican obstruction to the President’s jobs agenda has left working people in a holding pattern. Our economy continues to be severely off balance

Here is the May Central Labor Council latest news, from around the state. This electronic newsletter was developed by the Central labor Councils in Iowa. Please send this newsletter to your members.

 

Iowa Federation of Labor endorses President Obama for re-election in 2012. This endorsement came at the recent IFL

“President Obama’s immediate actions helped create jobs for projects here in America, not overseas. The ad released by the Obama campaign today demonstrates exactly the reason why we’re supporting President Obama’s plan to create jobs here in America and encourage companies to bring jobs back home over Mitt Romney’s strategy of shipping jobs overseas both in the private sector and as governor of Massachusetts,” Sagar said.COPE convention in Des Moines.

Meet Mr 1%

“It just amazes me to see just how big the gap is between what the big company CEO’s in Iowa makes and what the average Iowan makes,” said Ken Sagar of the Iowa AFL-CIO.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka launches Executive PayWatch program witha link to paywatch.org. Members are encouraged to write the Securities and Exchange Commission and urge them to implement the Dodd-Frank Act.

SCIFL President, Mark Cooper's letter to the editor, April 12, 2012 in the Des Moines Register dealing with the wealthy and corporations paying their fair share of taxes.

North Iowa Nine Labor Council and the Iowa Federation of Labor presnted BTCGM local 269G with $1000 donation towards their lockout with Crystal Sugar, in Mason City.

Cut ties with ALEC. Contact your elected reps and tell them to to cut their ties with ALEC

The Ryan Budget was introduced last week and it is an attack on medicare and medicaid. It will take more from those that have little, and give more to the wealthy. IFL President Ken Sagar's letter to the editor on this issue, was published in the Des Moines Register.

The University of Iowa Labor Center is offering a wide variety of classes over the next several weeks. Check them out and suppor the Labor Center.

Here is the April Central Labor Council latest news, from around the state. This electronic newsletter was developed by the Central labor Councils in Iowa. Please send this newsletter to your members.

Iowa Republican Congressmen vote to cut Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats - Braley, Loebsack and Boswell all voted agains the Ryan Budget. The Bill now moves to the Senate. Contact Harkin and Grassley and ask them to vote against the Ryan Budget.

Senator Tom Harkin introduced "Rebuild America Act" this week. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka applauded Senator Harkin for introducing the bill.

AFL-CIO President Trumka asks for the resignation of NLRB member Terence Flynn for his unethical and possible criminal actions.

There will be a rally Monday march 26 in Davenport for the Brothers and Sisters of Teamsters Local 371 who are on strike against Nichols Aluminum. They have been out since January 20.

AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, said the Republican proposed budget would take American back to the failed economics of the Great Recesion.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has officially announced that the AFL-CIO is endorsing President Barack Obama for re-election.

APWU is launching a new advertising campaign explaing to American how important the USPS is.

AFL-CIO Plans door-to-door for Obama Read more >>>

Senator Harkin co-sponsors legislation a bill to protect union rights Read more >>>

Local BCTGM 167G Address IFL Conference

IFL President Ken Sagar addressed a hearing at the Iowa Statehouse on funding Iowa education.

It’s not much of a shock that lies are popping up in the Republican presidential nomination race. But in Michigan, Mitt Romney is telling one whopper of lie about the UAW, the auto bailout that saved two of the nation’s Big 3 car manufacturers and President Obama. In a nutshell, Romney says Obama should have let Chrysler and GM go bankrupt—that should win him a lot of votes in Michigan today—and Obama instead “gave the companies to the UAW.” Read more >>>

On August 1, 1,300 BCTGM members in Minnesota, North Dakota and in Mason City, Iowa were locked out of their factories by American Crystal Sugar. The company has hired replacement workers and continues to refuse to return to the bargaining table.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please help your union brothers and sisters during this lockout by donating to the American Crystal Sugar Workers Lockout Fund.

Address checks to:
BCTGM ACS Lockout Fund

Mail donations to:
BCTGM International Union
Attn: ACS Lockout Fund – 4th Floor
10401 Connecticut Avenue
Kensington, Maryland 20895

Thank you for standing in solidarity with the locked out workers of American Crystal Sugar!

Here is the latest news from around the Central Labor Councils in Iowa. This electronic newsletter was developed by the Central Labor Councils across the state.

This monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on some of the latest news and happenings within the Central Labor Councils.

If you have comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at ifl@iowaaflcio.org.

Download it here in PDF form. 

Read more >>>

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

on President Obama’s Commitment to “Insource” American Job

On election day 2011, many candidates for local races Iowa's Central Labor Councils won.  Find out who won and who will be in runoff elections here. Read more >>>

In the Oct. 4 guest opinion “U.S. Must Approve Free Trade Deals,” it was suggested that the quickest way for our country to fix a stagnant economy would be to quickly pass free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

The Iowa Federation of Labor strongly disagrees with that assumption. It was the wrong policy when all three of these agreements were negotiated by then-President George W. Bush and would be the wrong policy if President Barack Obama moves forward with these plans as well.

We’ve learned in one “free trade” deal after another that these agreements only serve to move good-paying jobs overseas that support Iowa families. Approving these trade agreements will only further destroy our manufacturing sector and speed up the outsourcing of our service sector. In the Korea Trade Agreement alone, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that the growing trade imbalance will displace some 159,000 American jobs, mostly in the manufacturing sector.

While he’s wrong on these trade agreements, Obama is right to be turning the national conversation back to jobs. It’s time for Congress to pass the president’s jobs plan, which calls for immediate and needed infrastructure improvements for our country, as well as unemployment extensions for the jobless.

If Congress wants to promote exports, I suggest they address currency manipulation and not take actions that make our trade deficit with the world even worse. Passing a real jobs plan is the first and most important thing that can be done to fix our stagnant economy, not approving bad trade deals that put corporate profits over national prosperity.

— Ken Sagar, President, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Des Moines
 

Working women and men who provide the services to make society a better place to live are not some unknown entity to be scapegoated by politicians.  We are your neighbors.

Links to articles and people will be included on this site to put a face to the story of working people.

The IFL is including links to sources to inform our members about legislative forums.  Please check these sites to get information on when you can meet with your legislator to express your opinions on state legislative issues.  Democracy is NOT a spectator sport, get involved!

www.youtube.com/watch

Wall Streets robber barons have declared war on American workers. They close our plants. Ship our jobs overseas. Steal our pensions. Then laugh all the way to their banks -- the banks that we bailed out. These guys are just playing a game with other people's money. They just keep filling their pockets by emptying ours. It is time Wall Street paid its taxes -- to fund an American jobs recovery. Watch the rest of "The Game" then visit http://www.unionofunemployed.com to get involved!

 

Support your fellow workers and support union print shops that pay well and provide decent benefits.

The Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO is the state federation of labor representing over 50,000 members of 520 unions throughout Iowa. The mission of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our state and the nation.

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