It’s time for a better deal for Iowa workers
As our state faces a serious workforce crisis, it’s time for our government to deliver a better deal for Iowa’s working families.
Employers are calling out with increasing urgency about the need for skilled workers to fill vacant positions and allow their businesses to expand. With state and national unemployment rates at historic low levels, competition for employees is tough and getting tougher.
Iowa needs more workers.
Our worker shortage represents a major challenge — but also a major opportunity. If we can establish Iowa as a premier destination for people to work and raise a family, we can solve this immediate crisis — with benefits that last a generation. We can build a brighter, stronger future for Iowa. But to do it, we must offer working families a better deal than they are getting now.
Over the past eight years, our governor and her majority party’s short-sighted decisions have made things worse, not better. Because of their choices, it’s now
difficult to recruit and retain workers and reverse the effects of our compounding worker shortage.
Because of Republican politicians’ attacks on our unemployment system, the 1,300 workers facing an uncertain future due to the Tyson plant closure in Perry will have access to nearly three months’ unemployment benefits than they would’ve had just a couple years ago.
Those attacks on unemployment aid have also made it harder for seasonal workers in construction and outdoor fields to stay in Iowa year-round: They’re increasingly leaving for neighboring states that understand their industries and respect their work.
Because of their refusal to raise the minimum wage to match our neighboring states (not to mention economic reality), workers are left feeling undervalued and under pressure to leave for jobs that pay the bills.
Because of their loosening of childlabor laws, kids are being pushed into more dangerous work, a truly immoral shortcut toward solving the worker shortage in our state. At one point, Republicans even tried to deny injury benefits to kids who get hurt in these jobs — thankfully we were able to get that amended out last year.
And because of their erosion of worker protections and the prioritization of corporate profits, workers face the threat of serious injuries with less opportunities to get the benefits they need when their careers are cut short.
And then there’s the Republican majority’s ongoing attack on the right of workers to organize for better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
In 2017, they slashed workplace rights for public employees — a blatant political attack meant to break Iowa’s unions and undo decades of strong relations between employers and employees. This year, they doubled down, pushing a bill in the Senate that created a loophole in state law for
to decertify — that is, break up — their workers’ union. Lucky for Iowa workers, that bill failed — but not before revealing just how extreme this agenda continues to be.
More recently, Senate Democrats invited our Republican colleagues to collaborate on a bipartisan leadership bill to restore the full 39 weeks of unemployment aid for workers affected by plant closures. They declined, despite the devastating closure in Perry.
This is not the way forward for Iowa. This is not the solution to our workforce crisis. We can offer a better deal for Iowa workers and their families. We simply have to make their quality of life our priority in state government again.
Along with my Democratic colleagues, I’ve introduced a legislative blueprint for that better deal. Here’s what it looks like:
Paid family leave for Iowans. Family leave programs are a huge asset for employees and a competitive edge for employers large and small.
Support for seasonal workers. We have a bipartisan bill to help seasonal workers get through short-term layoffs so they can stay in the state and stay on the job for Iowa employers.
Protections for workers. There are clear, concrete steps we can take to promote safer workplaces, provide care for injured workers, and ensure justice for those harmed on the job. We can hold bad actors accountable when their disregard for the law causes workplace injuries, and we can ensure fair loss-of-earning-capacity benefits for those who suffer major on-the-job injuries.
Better quality of life. We can do much more as a state to ensure affordable child care, world-class public schools, restored natural resources and recreational opportunities, and access to quality health care.
I’m dedicated to making Iowa a better place for the workforce we need today and in the years to come. By offering a better deal for Iowa workers, we lay the foundation for a bright future for our state.