I am Ken Sagar, President of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. The Federation is a coalition of nearly 500 unions of the AFL-CIO in Iowa. On behalf of the Federation, I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify in support of HF 2420, the Reasonable Reimbursement bill.

Women are an important and growing segment of the workforce and the economy in the nation. Their incomes are a necessary—and often the only—component of the family income. It is time to squelch the pervasive problem of discrimination in the workplace and make it a thing of the past. We must focus today on good jobs with good wages and benefits for every worker.

What we are asking for: A public health insurance plan should be an option for everyone, alongside private health insurance plans. The public health insurance plan would compete on a level playing field with private plans and would be administered by government but funded through premiums.

Prevailing wage exemplifies good economic development. It encourages the development of a high-skill, high-wage economy that provides decent health and pension benefits and economic security to workers. Additionally, higher wages have a positive impact on local incomes and tax revenues.

Prevailing wage helps maintain wage standards in the construction industry, and thus improves the likelihood that construction jobs will continue to provide an avenue for economic mobility for workers within the industry. Opportunities for minority and at-risk youth for true career paths are improved by encouraging contractors to invest in apprenticeship training programs.

The Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO represents thousands of working families in this state, as well as many more who do not have the advantage of union representation. We strongly support HF 807, which gives a tax break to the middle class, increases deductions for our most vulnerable citizens and eliminates federal deductibility.

This is the fundamental difference: we believe workers have a right to make decisions about their own health care. These decisions affect not only a person’s work life, but all other aspects of one’s life—physical, economic and social. What’s more important—your health or the company’s bottom line? Workers, not greedy CEOs, should make their own medical decisions because life is about more than just work.

The Iowa Federation of Labor urges Senator Grassley to put aside partisanship and join with the House and with President Obama in supporting the economic recovery bill. Now is not the time for “politics as usual.” We need the Senate to act quickly and responsibly and pass this bill now.

For the record, the IFL neither supports nor opposes tax credits per se. Our position on these credits depends entirely on whether they make a positive contribution to the Iowa economy or fulfill a specific unmet, but broadly supported goal. Unfortunately, that is hard to do when the necessary information to make that determination is unavailable.