Subject:

HEALTH CARE I

Submitted By:

SOUTHERN IOWA LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO, OTTUMWA, IOWA

Referred To:

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE

WHEREAS:

Rapidly increasing costs in health care causes  the parties to focus on health care during collective bargaining, to the detriment of wages and other contract issues; and

WHEREAS:

Between 45 and 50 million Americans lack any kind of health insurance and millions more have plans with limited coverage; and

WHEREAS:

Private insurance has much higher administrative costs than government single payer programs like Medicare and Medicaid; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Fifty-First Convention of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, hereby endorses HR 676, which would create a comprehensive single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident of the United States.

Subject:

HEALTH CARE II

Submitted By:

HAWKEYE LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

Referred To:

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE

WHEREAS:

Every person in Iowa and in the United States deserves access to affordable, quality healthcare; and

WHEREAS:

Nearly 46 million Americans live daily without healthcare coverage; and

WHEREAS:

Those insured now often experience burdensome medical debt and sometimes life-threatening delays in obtaining healthcare; and

WHEREAS:

One-half of all personal bankruptcies and 30% of credit card debt are due to illnesses or medical bills; and

WHEREAS:

Fewer than 60% of employers, and barely half of small employers, now provide health insurance; and

WHEREAS:

Employers are shifting healthcare costs to employees through higher premiums, deductibles, co-pays, caps on services, and reductions in coverage; and

WHEREAS:

Administrative costs of our current healthcare system consume approximately 30% of United States healthcare spending, with rising costs contributing to decreased international business competitiveness and massive layoffs; and

WHEREAS:

United States Representative John Conyers has introduced House Resolution 676 (hereinafter referred to as HR 676), The United States National Health Insurance Act, which would provide healthcare to all; and

WHEREAS:

The goal of HR 676 is to ensure that all Americans have access, guaranteed by law, to the highest quality and most cost-effective healthcare services regardless of their employment, income, or healthcare status; and

WHEREAS:

HR 676 will cover all medically necessary services, including primary care, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic, and substance abuse treatment; and

WHEREAS:

HR 676 will give patients their choice of physicians, providers, hospitals, and clinics with no co-pays or deductibles in a publicly financed, privately delivered system; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Hawkeye Labor Council, AFL-CIO hereby supports and endorses HR 676, The United States National Health Insurance Act, and respectfully requests the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and our local, state and federal elected officials to endorse and adopt HR 676; and the President of the Hawkeye Labor Council, AFL-CIO is authorized and directed to forward copies of this Resolution to such officials to enlist their support of this vital piece of legislation.

Subject:

HEALTH CARE I

Submitted By:

SOUTHERN IOWA LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO, OTTUMWA, IOWA

HAWKEYE LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

Referred To:

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE

WHEREAS:

Every person in Iowa, and in the United States deserves access to affordable, quality healthcare; and

WHEREAS:

Between 45 and 50 million Americans lack any kind of health insurance and millions more have plans with limited coverage; and

WHEREAS:

Those insured now often experience burdensome medical debt and sometimes life-threatening delays in obtaining healthcare; and

WHEREAS:

One-half of all personal bankruptcies and 30% of credit card debt are due to illnesses or medical bills; and

WHEREAS:

Fewer than 60% of employers, and barely half of small employers, now provide health insurance; and

WHEREAS:

Employers are shifting healthcare costs to employees through higher premiums, deductibles, co-pays, caps on services and reductions in coverage; and

WHEREAS:

Administrative costs of our current healthcare system consume approximately 30% of United States healthcare spending, with rising costs contributing to decreased international business competitiveness and massive layoffs; and

WHEREAS:

United States Representative John Conyers has introduced House Resolution 676 (hereinafter referred to as HR 676), The United States National Health Insurance Act, which would provide healthcare to all; and

WHEREAS:

The goal of HR 676 is to ensure that all Americans have access, guaranteed by law, to the highest quality and most cost-effective healthcare services regardless of their employment, income, or healthcare status; and

WHEREAS:

HR 676 will cover all medically necessary services, including primary care, inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, long term care, mental health services, dentistry, eye care, chiropractic, and substance abuse treatment; and

WHEREAS:

HR 676 will give patients their choice of physicians, providers, hospitals, and clinics with no co-pays or deductibles in a publicly financed, privately delivered system; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Fifty-First Convention of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, hereby endorses HR 676, which would create a comprehensive single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident of the United States.

Subject:

VOTE BY MAIL

Submitted By:

IOWA ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS

Referred To:

POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

WHEREAS:

Vote-by-Mail has been proven in Oregon to be a successful, fraud-free and voter-friendly model for election administration and has resulted in increased voter participation; and

WHEREAS:

Vote-by-Mail is voter friendly and convenient, eliminating the need for voters to go to a polling place and wait for their turn to vote and accommodating shift workers as well as disabled voters by giving the voter time to make a reasoned decision about their votes in their own home; and

WHEREAS:

Vote-by-Mail provides a paper trail of optical scan ballots that can be recounted by machine or by hand to prove that every vote was counted accurately; and

WHEREAS:

Every signature of every voter can be checked on Vote-by-Mail ballots by election officials to safeguard the system against fraud; and

WHEREAS:

Vote-by-Mail ballots are not forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service but returned to election clerks to keep voter rolls accurate and constantly updated; and

WHEREAS:

Centralized supervision of ballot processing in county clerks’ offices maintains uniformity and strict compliance with laws throughout the state; and

WHEREAS:

Vote-by-Mail elections not only increase participation, are convenient, accurate and fraud free, they also cost taxpayers one-third less than polling place elections; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO support legislation to enact statewide and local election reform to allow for permanent absentee voter status, testing of Vote-by-Mail elections and ultimately permanent Vote-by-Mail elections in Iowa.

Subject:

FIRE SPRINKLER LICENSING

Referred To:

BUILDING  TRADES COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

UA LOCAL 669

WHEREAS:

Fire sprinklers provide an important public safety function in the protection of life and property; and

WHEREAS:

This role is best supported by having fire sprinkler installers and fire sprinkler maintenance personnel who are properly educated in the appropriate installation and maintenance of these devices; and

WHEREAS:

We believe the best way to achieve these goals is with licensing and participation in a certified apprenticeship program regulated by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training certified apprenticeship program; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO go on record to support amending  the Iowa Code to establish and adopt a licensing and regulation structure under the State Fire Marshall and an advisory board for fire sprinkler installation and fire sprinkler maintenance workers and employers.

Subject:

CHOICE OF DOCTOR

Referred To:

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

A basic tenet of quality health care is the ability to choose one’s own doctor or health care provider; and

WHEREAS:

Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation law allows employers, rather than injured workers, to choose the medical care provider; and

WHEREAS:

Many employers take responsibility for their employees’ safety and health seriously, but there are a number of employers and insurance companies who abuse this privilege by:

·        Providing inadequate or ineffective treatment

·        Attempting to improperly influence medical decisions

·        Delaying care unnecessarily

·        Establishing work restrictions that put workers at greater risk of further injury

·        Issuing unfairly low impairment ratings

·        Colluding with doctors in discharge decisions

·        Frequently changing authorized care (doctor-shopping); and

WHEREAS:

Employer-chosen providers often have no accountability to the injured worker; rather, their allegiance is with the employer who pays them; and

WHEREAS:

Thirty-three other states allow workers at least some opportunity to choose their own medical care providers for work-related injuries; and

WHEREAS:

Giving workers the right to choose their own medical care providers is not necessarily predictive of higher insurance premiums; six of the ten states with the lowest workers’ compensation premiums give injured workers the right to choose their own medical care providers; five of the ten states with the highest premiums give employers the right to choose; and

WHEREAS:

Trust in one’s medical care provider leads to quicker recovery and better health care outcomes, which is more cost effective in the long run; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO continue to support legislation that allows Iowa workers who are injured on the job to choose their medical care providers.

Subject:

FAIR SHARE

Referred To:

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

Unions are required to represent all members of a bargaining unit, whether or not they are dues-paying members of the union; and

WHEREAS:

Union members, through their membership dues, contribute to the costs of bargaining and administering the contracts bargained by the union; and

WHEREAS:

Non-members get all the benefits of the contract, but pay nothing; and

WHEREAS:

Chapter 731 and pertinent parts of Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code preclude the negotiation of a union shop clause or fair share clause into a collectively bargained labor agreement; and

WHEREAS:

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that even if state law allows for the negotiation of a union shop clause and a union and an employer have negotiated such a clause, a worker cannot be required to pay full union dues as a condition of employment; however, the worker can be required to pay a fair share fee; and

WHEREAS:

A fair share clause would ensure that all workers covered by and benefiting from the contract would share in the cost of the services provided; NOW THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO continue to support legislation that would amend Chapter 731 and the pertinent parts of Chapter 20 so as to allow Iowa unions to negotiate fair share clauses into collectively bargained labor agreements; and BE IT FINALLY

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Iowa Central Labor Councils and affiliated unions continue to make every effort to educate our members and their families on the issue of fair share.

Subject:

PREVAILING WAGE

Referred To:

BUILDING TRADES

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

Iowa’s public bidding statute requires public improvements to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder; and

WHEREAS:

Public improvement contracts in Iowa are typically awarded simply to the lowest bidder because public officials understand how to determine the lowest bidder, but few understand how to select the responsible, or most qualified, bidder; and

WHEREAS:

This system encourages contractors to compete on the level of who can pay the lowest wages, attracting the bottom-feeders of the industry and leading to the potential for a less-skilled, less-productive workforce, shoddy construction practices and unsafe public buildings and infrastructure; and

WHEREAS:

Prevailing wages refers to the wages and fringe benefits paid to a majority or a substantial percentage of workers in the same job classification on similar construction and improvement  projects in the same geographic area as a proposed public improvement; and

WHEREAS:

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia currently have a prevailing wage law, including all states surrounding Iowa, except South Dakota; and

WHEREAS:

Iowa needs a state prevailing wage law that would require businesses to compete for government contracts based on their ability to manage  and innovate, rather than by exploiting workers and endangering their health and safety; NOW THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO continue to support legislation calling for a prevailing wage law for construction workers in Iowa and make every effort to educate legislators and our members on the beneficial impact of a prevailing wage on the economy, on quality and on worker safety.

Subject:

U.S. SENATE ELECTION

Referred To:

POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin has had a consistent record of support for workers on issues that concern workers and their families, and

WHEREAS:

Senator Tom Harkin has compiled a 92% right AFL-CIO voting record over his 23 years in the Senate; and

WHEREAS:

Senator Tom Harkin has led efforts to implement landmark legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act; he has sponsored an effort to outlaw replacement of striking workers; he has voted to oppose repeal of the OSHA ergonomic standard and voted against repeal of the estate tax, which would be a windfall to the richest 2% of families; and

WHEREAS:

In his most recent term, Senator Tom Harkin has, voted to support an increase in the minimum wage, to protect workers’ overtime pay, and to extend unemployment benefits to workers who have not been able to find a job; and

WHEREAS:

In his most recent term, Senator Tom Harkin has also voted against trade agreements that would cost American workers’ jobs, against privatization of Social Security, against contracting out federal employees’ work, against tax cuts for the wealthy; and

WHEREAS:

Senator Tom Harkin has repeatedly co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act and been an outspoken advocate for its passage; NOW THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the 51^st annual convention of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO make an early endorsement of Tom Harkin for Senate in 2008; and BE IT FINALLY

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Iowa Central Labor Councils and Local Unions make every effort to register, educate and get their members out to vote for the re-election of Senator Tom Harkin to the U.S. Senate.

Subject:

CAUCUS PARTICIPATION

Referred To:

POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

Workers have seen an erosion in their economic security, health care security, pension and retirement security and their children and grandchildren’s future education and economic opportunities; and

WHEREAS:

Working families across this country have some to see the disastrous results of electing an anti-worker, anti-family, anti-union president who caters to the whims of corporations and the rich; and

WHEREAS:

Iowa’s first in the nation caucuses provide an unrivaled opportunity for Iowa’s working women and men to question presidential candidates about their positions on issues important to working families; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Iowa Central Labor Councils make every effort to encourage workers to participate in presidential candidates’ events to meet and question them on issues important to working women and men; and BE IT FINALLY

RESOLVED:

That the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, its affiliated local unions and Iowa Central Labor Councils educate working women and men on the importance of participating in their precinct caucuses.

Subject:

SUPPORTING UNIONIZED COMPANIES BY URGING CITY AND STATE GOVERNMENTS TO SWITCH CELLULAR SERVICE TO RESPONSIBLE PROVIDERS

Referred To:

PROMOTION OF UNION LABOR COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

CWA IOWA STATE COUNCIL

WHEREAS:

It is imperative that state and local governments patronize companies that adhere to the highest standards of corporate citizenship; and

WHEREAS:

State and municipal governments around the country are significant institutional customers and have both the ability and responsibility to choose to do business with companies that respect workers’ rights; and

WHEREAS:

The only union wireless vendor is AT&T Mobility, formerly Cingular Wireless; and

WHEREAS:

Other major wireless competitors, especially Verizon Wireless, have constantly opposed collective bargaining for their employees; and

WHEREAS:

The telecommunications industry is one of the most visible and dynamic industries in the world, and the more attention we can bring to the success story of AT&T, the better; and

WHEREAS:

It would be a tremendous boost for our members and their families if state governments make it a priority to do business with companies like AT&T that treat its workers fairly and with dignity; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED:

That the delegates to the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO convention fully commit to:

1.      Switch cellular service for professional and personal use to AT&T Mobility to support a union company and its workers and also save money through an 18 percent discount for unions and union employees and their families;

2.      Reach out to city and state government officials to encourage them to switch governmental contracts for cellular service to AT&T Mobility; and

3.      Inform our membership about this campaign and encourage them to switch cell phone service and advise them of the 10 percent discount available to union members at AT&T Mobility through Union Privilege.

Subject:

SCOPE OF BARGAINING

Referred To:

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES COMMITTEE

Submitted By:

IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO

WHEREAS:

Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code was implemented as a means for public workers to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with their employers; and

WHEREAS:

The National Labor Relations Act includes all wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment as mandatory subjects of bargaining for private sector workers while Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code enumerates a list of mandatory subjects of bargaining for public sector workers; and

WHEREAS:

This relatively narrow scope of mandatory subjects of bargaining for Iowa public workers is problematic, since it limits public unions’ ability to meaningfully bargain concerning many common workplace issues.  While public unions may bargain over permissive subjects of bargaining under Chapter 20, they may not take proposals regarding permissive subjects to binding arbitration.  Under current law, such matters as employee discipline and discharge, employer payment of clothing and tool allowances, reimbursements of employee work expenses a