|
Resolution
No. 1 |
| Subject: |
Federal Tax
Cuts/Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
POLITICAL EDUCATION
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
The record federal debt
and the huge federal budget deficit, both caused primarily by the
Bush tax cuts, are being used as the rationale for cutting funding
for domestic programs that serve the needs of working Americans;
and |
| WHEREAS: |
Taxes on the wealthy and
on corporations have been lowered, even though the incomes of the
wealthy and corporate profits have risen dramatically, causing a
growing tax shift toward low-income taxpayers; and |
| WHEREAS: |
In the face of record
debt, huge deficits, and revenue shortfalls, the Bush
administration and its friends in Congress are pushing for
additional tax cuts, including the permanent repeal of the estate
tax, a benefit that would accrue to only the wealthiest of
Americans; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The first $1.5 million
of all estates is exempt from the estate tax, which results in
ninety-nine percent of all estates paying no tax at all, and of
the 1 percent of estates that do pay tax, the average rate paid is
only 19 percent; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and
Central Labor Councils urge Congress to oppose permanent repeal of
the estate tax; and BE IT FURTHER |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils oppose any further shift of taxes from the wealthy and
corporations onto low-income and middle-income American workers;
and BE IT FURTHER |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils oppose all tax cuts at the federal level until the
federal budget is brought under control; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils support eliminating the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in
order to erase the federal budget deficit and pay down the
national debt. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 2 |
| Subject: |
Iowa Tax
Cuts/Iowa Tax Policy |
| Submitted
by: |
IOWA
FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to:
|
LEGISLATION
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS:
|
The State of
Iowa has faced successive years of difficult budgets that, because
of a series of unsustainable tax cuts, the unwillingness of the
Republican legislature to raise any tax and a
Constitutional balanced budget requirement, have limited the
resources available to fund traditional priorities like education,
health care and public safety; and |
| WHEREAS:
|
Taxes on the
wealthy and on corporations have been lowered, even though the
incomes of the wealthy and corporate profits have risen
dramatically, causing a growing tax shift toward low-income
taxpayers; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and
Central Labor Councils support tax policies that raise adequate
revenues for needed programs; and BE IT FURTHER |
| RESOLVED:
|
That the
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and
Central Labor Councils support an overhaul of the Iowa tax system
to make the system less regressive and more progressive
(high-income taxpayers pay a higher percentage of their income in
taxes than low- income taxpayers); and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED:
|
That the
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and
Central Labor Councils oppose all tax cuts that do not meet the
current or future needs of Iowa’s working families or that
adversely impact public services or the employees who provide
them. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 3 |
| Subject: |
Wal-Mart |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Wal-Mart has
consistently violated the spirit and the letter of the National
Labor Relations Act and other applicable federal and state laws
through such actions as consistently paying women less than men,
repeatedly and knowingly hiring janitorial subcontractors who
employ undocumented workers to cheat them out of the wage-and-hour
protections to which they are entitled, violating occupational
safety and health laws, pressuring managers to hold down labor
costs by falsifying time cards and replacing more senior workers
with lower-paid new hires, and firing and/or otherwise
intimidating workers seeking to organize; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Wal-Mart's substandard
pay forces substantial numbers of its employees to rely on
government subsidies for healthcare, housing, school lunches, and
food stamps; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Wal-Mart enters
saturated retail markets, either forcing competitors into
bankruptcy or inducing them to join its race to the bottom in
wages and benefits, then spends millions of dollars in advertising
to paper over its bad neighbor policies; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Wal-Mart's unrelenting
pressure on its suppliers to lower costs has contributed to the
decline of good domestic jobs in favor of worldwide outsourcing
and sweatshop labor; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Communities lose three
jobs for every two that Wal-Mart "creates"; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Funding for schools and
public services is harmed by Wal-Mart's exportation of profit and
erosion of local tax bases; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils support the struggle of Wal-Mart workers to organize for
collective representation and urge all affiliates and members to
purchase 2005 back-to-school supplies somewhere other than
Wal-Mart and urge that all affiliates and members refrain from
patronizing Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, or any other subsidiary or
related enterprise until such time as they adopt appropriate labor
and community-friendly policies. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 4 |
| Subject: |
Predatory Lending |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
HUMAN RELATIONS
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
In recent years an
increasing number of “alternative” lending institutions have
located in Iowa. Services offered by these institutions include:
mortgage refinancing, tax refund anticipation loans, payday loans
and car-title loans; and |
| WHEREAS: |
In many cases the
services offered by these lending institutions, while legal,
include up to a 360% annual rate of interest; and |
| WHEREAS: |
People who borrow from
these institutions become victims of “predatory lending
practices” designed to take advantage of people in desperate
financial trouble. The immoral interest rates charged by predatory
lenders, when compounded, often add up to amounts greater than
borrowers can possibly pay, leading to the loss of collateral,
including homes and automobiles; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The Iowa Senate passed
legislation regulating car-title loans, the most usurious of the
predatory lending schemes, during the 2005 legislative session on
a 50 - 0 vote, but it was dropped in end-of-session negotiation;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils urge the Iowa Senate to again pass legislation regulating
car-title loans in 2006, urge the House of Representatives to
follow suit and urge Governor Vilsack to sign the legislation. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 5 |
| Subject: |
Pension Security |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
INDUSTRIAL UNIONS
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Social Security, a
private pension and individual savings make up the three
components of a well-rounded retirement plan, yet over fifty
million Americans are not covered by any employer-provided pension
system; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Americans who have
pensions are increasingly facing threats to their pension
investments from employer raids, bankruptcies, takeovers and other
risks resulting from the culture of greed that permeates most
major corporations today; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Defined benefit pension
plans, which provide a pre-determined retirement benefit, are far
preferable to defined contribution plans that provide only a
pre-determined contribution rate. Yet, in recent years, numerous
private sector employers have replaced their defined benefit plans
with defined contribution plans, leaving their employees with less
retirement security; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The federally created
Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), that is designed to
provide a safety net for employees’ pension assets, faces
multi-billion dollar deficits as a result of corporate
bankruptcies and the sometimes deliberate under-funding of
corporate pension plans; and |
| WHEREAS: |
These factors show that
employers need to be encouraged to offer pension plans to their
employees and the government needs to be encouraged to strengthen
protections for employees’ assets that are placed in those
plans; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils urge Congress to pass legislation protecting workers’
pension assets against employer raids, bankruptcies and corporate
financial misconduct. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 6 |
| Subject: |
Hunger |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
FARM LABOR COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
In spite of the fact
that the United States is the richest nation in the world, food
insecurity and hunger are a fact of life for thousands of low-
income Iowans and can produce physical, mental, and social
impairments; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Over nine percent of
Iowans are food insecure and three percent experience hunger; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The problem of hunger
and food insecurity can be found in cities and rural areas in
Iowa; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Federal food assistance
programs like the Federal Food Stamp Program and the Women,
Infants and Children (W.I.C.) nutrition program provide essential
nutrition support to 100,000 Iowa adults and 100,000 Iowa children
each year; and |
| WHEREAS: |
In his budget, President
Bush proposed $9 billion in cuts over five years in Agriculture
Committee programs. The President proposed that 7 percent of these
cuts come from the Food Stamp Program, which serves the neediest
and most vulnerable people in the nation and provides them, on
average, with $1 per person per meal; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The Congressional budget
resolution subsequently shrank the overall cuts in Agriculture
Committee programs from the $9 billion that the President proposed
to $3 billion. Yet, commodity groups are now proposing to triple
the food stamp cut the President proposed; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils oppose the cuts proposed by the Bush administration and
the Republicans in Congress that target programs addressing hunger
and food insecurity; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils urge elected leaders at all levels of government to
increase funding for programs aimed at ending hunger and food
insecurity. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 7 |
| Subject: |
Voting Rights for Felons |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
POLITICAL EDUCATION
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
A democracy’s strength
results from the participation of its citizens in the democratic
political process; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Those denied the right
to vote because of their status as felons include disproportionate
numbers of minorities and low-income Iowans; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Removing obstacles that
currently exclude Iowa felons from voting has the potential of
increasing participation in the political process by as many as
50,000 previously disenfranchised people; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Reintegrating felons
into society who have served their sentences causes them to be
less likely to re-offend; and |
| WHEREAS: |
On July 4, 2005 Governor
Vilsack signed an executive order making Iowa the 46th state to
allow felons to vote; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Central Labor
Councils support Governor Vilsack’s executive order giving
felons the right to vote and oppose any legislative effort to over
turn Governor Vilsack’s executive order. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 8 |
| Subject: |
FILING FEES ON CONTESTED
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CASES |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA FEDERATION OF
LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Workers' compensation is
a mandatory insurance program that provides income and medical
benefits for most workers who are injured or become sick because
of their jobs, and in exchange, protects employers against
lawsuits brought by injured workers; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Employers often deny
workers their right to compensation by refusing to accept
responsibility for work-related injuries, making late or
inadequate payments, or other means of circumventing the law,
thereby forcing workers to file a petition for a hearing before
the Workers’ Compensation Commissioner; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Workers’ access to
just compensation is further hampered by a state requirement that
the worker pay a fee in order to file for a hearing; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Legislators have been
considering increasing the filing fee from $65 to $100, making it
more costly for an injured worker to collect their due
compensation; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The justification for
the original filing fee and the income it produces was to provide
funding for the Workers’ Compensation Division, and al- though
increased funding is an appropriate goal, this funding source is
simply a user fee assessed on injured workers; NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the IFL oppose
legislation that would raise the filing fee for Workers’
Compensation claimants and make every effort to pass legislation
that would eliminate the current filing fee; and be it finally |
| RESOLVED: |
That the IFL support
increased tax funding for the Division of Workers’ Compensation. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 9 |
| Subject: |
Performance Based
Contracting |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA STATE BUILDING AND
CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL |
| Referred to: |
BUILDING TRADES
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Many of Iowa’s public
buildings, not the least of which are public schools, are in a sad
state of disrepair; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Throughout the state,
all levels of government, including state, county, local and
school districts, are experiencing increased stress on budgets;
and |
| WHEREAS: |
Many of the public
buildings that are in disrepair are old and continuing to age,
with antiquated mechanical systems and inadequate windows, doors,
roofs and insulation, which create an undue burden in operating
costs due to an unnecessary waste of costly energy; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The State of Iowa has
issued a proclamation declaring that each of its state agencies
take any measures possible to conserve precious energy dollars;
and |
| WHEREAS: |
Legislation has been
proposed to the Iowa State Legislature, which could provide a
manner in which public agencies, and particularly school
districts, could update and upgrade their facilities by availing
themselves of Performance Based Contracting, which allows them to
pay for upgrades through energy savings without the necessity of
controversial bond referendums or taxation issues, requiring the
burden of savings to be placed on the contractors performing the
upgrades; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Performance Based
Contracting legislation is not intended to displace any public
employees who currently perform maintenance at any of these
facilities, but rather to only address the major capitol
improvements, which will result in an overall energy savings; NOW,
THEREFORE BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Forty-Ninth
Convention of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL- CIO goes on
record to endorse legislation allowing Performance Based
Contracting for public facilities. |
|
Thomas F. Gillespie, President
Eugene C. Rome, Secretary |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 10 |
| Subject: |
IOWA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’
RETIREMENT SYSTEM |
| Submitted by: |
AFSCME IOWA COUNCIL 61 |
| Referred to: |
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
A secure retirement
income is a basic benefit essential to any good job; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The stated purpose of
the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) is to “promote
economy and efficiency in the public service by providing an
orderly means for employees, without hardship or prejudice, to
have a retirement system which will provide for the payment of
annuities, enabling the employees to care for themselves in
retirement, and which will improve public employment within the
state, reduce excessive personnel turnover, and offer suitable
attraction to high-grade men and women to enter public service in
the state”; and |
| WHEREAS: |
IPERS is currently
under-funded and requires legislative action to increase funding;
and |
| WHEREAS: |
IPERS currently has
authority to set actuarial contribution rates for the protection
occupation group membership, but not the general member- ship,
within IPERS, which allows rates to be adjusted up or down within
statutorily approved guidelines; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the IFL urge the
Governor and General Assembly to take action in the 2006 session
of the Iowa General Assembly to set a schedule of phased-in
contribution rate increases to IPERS; and BE IT FURTHER |
| RESOLVED: |
That the IFL recommend
that the contribution rate increase begin no later than July 1,
2006; that the increase be phased in over a period of 4 years at
the combined rate of 1 percentage point per year for each of the
four years; that the current 60-40 split of contribution rates
shared between employer and employee be retained; and that the
increase in contribution rates maintain the 60-40
employer-employee split; and BE IT FURTHER |
| RESOLVED: |
That following the
implementation of the above-referenced phase-in of increased
contribution rates, the IFL recommend IPERS be authorized to
adjust contribution rates as recommended by the IPERS actuary to
keep IPERS fiscally sound; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That the IFL re-affirm
that it is imperative to the statutory mission of IPERS to
maintain the current structure to provide a core retirement
benefit and attract competent men and women to public service. |
|
Dan Homan, President
Chris Tripp, Executive Vice
President |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 11 |
| Subject: |
Save Social Security |
| Submitted by: |
IOWA STATE COUNCIL OF
MACHINISTS |
| Referred to: |
RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
The Iowa State Council
of Machinists in this year of 2005 salutes the Social Security
program on its 70th anniversary for being one of the finest
Federal government programs which has successfully served the
American people since its inception; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The Bush Administration
is threatening to seriously wound this valuable security program
with a scheme to privatize it; and |
| WHEREAS: |
We deplore the Chicken
Little cries from Bush and his Wall Street sponsors that “the
sky is falling” in their efforts to convert Social Security from
the safe insurance type system it is over to a gamblers’ den of
risky private investments; and |
| WHEREAS: |
The truth is that Social
Security continues to run a financial surplus, and could keep
paying present benefits until 2042 and beyond if we defeat their
privatization plan; and |
| WHEREAS: |
We strongly oppose the
Bush Administration’s proposal that would cut 33 percent of
Social Security funding, thereby stripping benefits for
beneficiaries of all ages, including those covered by the
disability and survivors provisions; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That we urge our members
and the public to let Congress know we are outraged at this
proposal to privatize Social Security, and we urge Congress to
defeat this threat to the basic interests of millions of American
families; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That we join with other
like-minded groups in the drive to SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY, a
successful program that has served the American public so well and
for so long. |
|
Mark L. Smith, President
Ken D. Sagar, Secretary-Treasurer |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 13 |
| Subject: |
Unemployment Benefits |
| Submitted by: |
AFSCME Local 3012, Cedar
Rapids Area State Employees |
| Referred to: |
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Thousands of individuals
who are totally or partially unemployed through no fault of their
own are denied unemployment benefits due to monetary, technical
and restrictive regulations; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO goes on record as urging Governor Vilsack and
the Iowa Legislature to:
- Remove the 125% of highest
quarter earnings requirement for wage base period
qualifications for unemployment benefits;
- Allow for an alternate base
period, if a claim is not monetarily eligible using the
regular base period and the alternate base period would allow
for a monetarily eligible claim;
- Establish a 30-calendar day
no-fault probation period which would allow a quit by claimant
without a disqualification and a discharge without misconduct
with no direct charge to the employer;
- Increase the appeal period for
decisions from 10 to 14 days.
- Apply current application of
deduction of vacation pay to severance pay;
- Reduce the deduction for
part-time employment to 50% of wages in excess of one-fourth
of the individual’s weekly benefit amount;
- Remove excessive earnings limit
of $15.00 over the weekly benefit amount;
- Apply temporary employer contact
requirements after work completion as an able and available
issue instead of a voluntary quit issue.
|
|
Frank Spinler, President
Neil Anderson, Vice President |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 15 |
| Subject: |
UTILITIES |
| Submitted by: |
IBEW IOWA STATE
CONFERENCE |
| Referred to: |
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
Recently ballot
initiatives to take over or municipalize by condemnation of
existing utility systems have been launched in several cities that
receive gas and electric services from investor-owned utilities;
and |
| WHEREAS: |
Consumer satisfaction
marks are high among investor-owned utility customers and these
cities are not dissatisfied with the service provided by the
incumbent utilities. However, municipal ownership is viewed by
some as an opportunity to operate a utility system at a lower cost
and utilize the revenues to support city services; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Existing municipal
utility systems which operate with lower rates, were established
years ago and received substantial economic benefits. A new system
will not receive the same economic incentives that were available
to the existing municipal utilities when they were established.
Benefits no longer available for new municipals include federal
subsidies for start-up costs, property tax advantages and
discounted electric purchases from government facilities. Start-up
costs alone would run in the millions for a new municipal utility.
Customers will absorb these costs through higher rates; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Affiliates of the Iowa
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO have in the past and continue to
represent utility workers in the State of Iowa. These workers
provide safe, reliable service and take pride in their technical
skills. Their wages, benefits, and working conditions have been
negotiated in good faith with the employers through a give and
take process and the workers should not be forced to suffer losses
due to unnecessary takeovers; and |
| WHEREAS: |
A new city utility may
choose to staff its workforce with untrained nonunion employees
and good paying jobs could be lost in the process. These losses
would result in a negative economic impact on the employees and
their families, as well as local, county, and state governments.
Customers could be negatively impacted with higher rates, and/or
unsafe and unreliable service; and |
| WHEREAS: |
We as labor
organizations are faced with a climate where many employers and
politicians strive to break down working conditions and replace
skilled union workers with untrained nonunion labor; and |
| WHEREAS: |
It is crucial that
unions are unified in their support of one another to maintain our
representation rights and continue to help working men and women;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO continue to oppose any takeovers of the gas,
electric, and telecommunications utility systems that negatively
impact workers; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO goes on record as supporting existing bargaining
units, current providers of utility service who employ union men
and women, and the maintenance of good, negotiated wages, benefits
and working conditions for all workers in the gas, electric, and
tele-communications utility services. |
|
Sandy Opstvedt, President
Richie Kurtenbach, Vice President |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 16 |
| Subject: |
INVOLUNTARY
WAGE WITHHOLDINGS |
| Submitted
by: |
IBEW IOWA
STATE CONFERENCE |
| Referred to:
|
LEGISLATION
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS:
|
Iowa Code
Chapter 412 permits municipal utilities to create their own
pension plans, but does not establish any financial standards for
those plans or provide for any protection for workers employed by
those municipal utilities; and |
| WHEREAS:
|
Certain
municipal utilities have taken advantage of this lack of
governmental oversight to make arbitrary changes in the
contribution rate required from municipal utility workers; and |
| WHEREAS:
|
Those
municipal utilities have refused to bargain with the unions
representing municipal utility workers; and |
| WHEREAS:
|
Those
changes affect the pay of those workers and the standard of living
of the working families represented by affiliated unions; NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO opposes unilateral changes to
workers’ wages and benefits without good faith bargaining with
the certified representatives of municipal utility workers, and
the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO supports appropriate
legislative changes to protect the pension rights of municipal
utility workers. |
| RESOLVED:
|
|
| RESOLVED:
|
|
| RESOLVED:
|
|
|
Sandy Opstvedt, President
Richie Kurtenbach, Vice President |
|
|
|
Resolution
No. 17 |
| Subject: |
POLITICAL PARTY
PARTICIPATION |
| Submitted by: |
IBEW IOWA STATE
CONFERENCE |
| Referred to: |
POLITICAL EDUCATION
COMMITTEE |
| WHEREAS: |
The current climate has
brought about tremendous setbacks for working men and women in the
United States. Republican leaders continue to target such crucial
areas as Social Security, education, safety protections at the
worksite, secure good paying jobs, opportunities to provide health
care to all and lower prescription costs, and organized labor’s
ability to represent workers; and |
| WHEREAS: |
For various reasons,
including a large field of presidential candidates which divided
union members’ support, many unionists failed to participate in
county, district and state party conventions. There is a small
faction of Democrats who have an agenda to eliminate organized
labor from active participation in the Party structure; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Having fewer members
attend conventions makes it difficult, if not impossible, to build
momentum in platform and rules discussions or to elect union
members as state officers and delegates to the national
convention; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Union participation is
necessary at all levels of government. Union members do not cater
to self-interest but rather work tirelessly to provide for a
better America for all who reside here. Our Democratic members are
unwavering in their support of good Democratic candidates,
providing issue education, assisting in campaign strategy, helping
financially, volunteering service to the Party at all levels,
turning out large numbers of voters, and taking on significant
leadership roles. They are regarded highly by Party leaders for
input and advice, and provide endless hours of legwork in electing
officials who demonstrate a sincere desire to serve their
constituents in a positive manner; and |
| WHEREAS: |
Some of our members are
Republicans who also have a deep concern for working families and
the future of our country and do not participate in Republican
party activities; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO continue to encourage active participation among
union members in seeking Party leadership positions at the local
through national levels; and BE IT FINALLY |
| RESOLVED: |
That the Iowa Federation
of Labor, AFL-CIO further continue to educate union members
statewide in the need to attend all conventions and be readily
available to cast votes which directly impact working men, women,
and their families. |
|
Sandy Opstvedt, President
Richie Kurtenbach, Vice President |
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