THERE IS S IN UNITY TRENGTH RATION O DE F E L F A B A O W R O I AFL-CIO AFL-CIO D e a s ow Moines I NEWS IOWAVolume 14, Issue 3 Official Publication of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO October 2014 The Secretary-Treasurer's Notes . The 2015 Nightmare Iowa. With Republicans in control of the US Senate, President Obama has been left to defend social se- curity, affordable health care, and Medicare for the final two years of his Presidency, hoping that his vetoes won’t be overridden. Davis- Bacon is a thing of the past, and so is the federal minimum wage, the IFL Secretary-Treasurer Environmental Protection Agency, Charlie Wishman and the U.S. Department of Edu- cation. The U.S. Postal Service has It is 2015, it’s November, and been decimated and outsourced it’s cold. It has been a year since further. New job-killing trade deals we all woke up that post-election have been finalized, and workers morning, and realized that we are packing up their equipment to were in for tough times. We knew be sent to a slave-wage nation. when we lost the Iowa Senate, and Ok, wake up now. That was all didn’t take the Iowa House back a bad dream. A nightmare. No one with pro-labor legislators that we believes this can happen, right? were probably doomed. It was Don’t be so sure. only a matter of time, the question Politics can’t be ignored, be- was when. Since Governor Brans- cause public policies do make a tad had won re-election, he finally difference to your job. I know that election. These were their cam- them to vote. If they aren’t regis- was able to complete what he tried politicians can be hard to believe paign promises. tered, they can even register at the in 2011, when he first attempted to this time of year, but these are the There is something you can do. polls to vote on election day. end collective bargaining for pub- agenda items for anti-labor can- Its simple, its easy. Vote. Now is You deserve to live the American lic employees. Pensions for police, didates for offices up and down the time to stand up for yourself. dream, not live a nightmare. Do it firefighters, and other public em- the ticket. There is no secret about Educate your union brothers and for yourself, do it for your family, ployees have been slashed and their plans for unions, and they’ve sisters, and talk to them about vot- do it for your union brothers and corporations have received more been up-front about it the entire ing and why this matters. Register sisters. Vote. tax breaks on the backs of Iowa workers. U.S. Senator Ernst is now a tea- party darling, and the first wom- an elected to a federal office from Get Out The Vote Volunteers help get out the PAID vote during Quad Cities Phone Bank Night. U.S. POSTAGE U.S. NON-PROFIT ORG. NON-PROFIT PRESORT MAIL, INC. MAIL, PRESORT Vice President Joe Bid- den joined the Nuns on the Bus event in Des Moines. The event was to get people out to vote. — Photos by Lance Coles Iowa AFL-CIO Iowa News AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, Iowa A St., Suite 2000 Walker 50317 Des Moines, Iowa Page 2 IOWA AFL-CIO NEWS October 2014 The President's View . Fed Up With This Political Stuff? eliminate Project Labor Agreements must focus on the political arena you vote is your decision. Please (PLA) in an attack on our Building as well. take the time to educate your- Trades union members. Remember to vote, we research self, talk to family, friends and co- The subsequent legislative ses- the candidates, interview them, workers and vote. We need to elect sion was an all-out attack on pub- compile voting records and make people who will not try to destroy lic sector workers with a frontal recommendations on which candi- your unions. VOTE. Not voting is assault on public sector bargain- dates are likely to be best for work- like surrendering. Don’t surrender, ing. We fought back and protected ing family issues. Ultimately, how fight back. our rights. Moral of the story: elec- IFL President Ken Sagar tions have consequences. Labor has been under attack Feel like ignoring it all? Trust me, since President Reagan de- ignoring it will not make it go away. certified the Professional Air For too long, we have not made Traffic Controllers (PATCO) the political arena the focus that we in 1981. Really, corporate in- should have. Remember 2010? One terests have always sought to of the first things our current gover- eliminate labor unions. The nor did after his inauguration was to chart shows that labor unions made a huge impact on wag- IN UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH es that led to the formation RATION O DE F E L F A B A O W R of a strong and vibrant mid- O I AFL-CIO AFL-CIO dle class in this country. We D e a s ow Moines I NEWS IOWA fought to insure that workers got a fair share of the wealth The Iowa AFL-CIO News is the they created. As our numbers official publication of the have fallen, so has the welfare Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO of the middle class. 2000 Walker St., Suite A Today, far too few Ameri- Des Moines, Iowa 50317 cans are members of the labor movement. The Koch brothers and is published quarterly. and others continue to malign (515) 262-9571 unions and spew their hatred to an uneducated public. La- iowaaflcio.org bor unions still stand at the forefront of social justice. We still struggle to win rights at Officers the bargaining table but we & Staff Union Members In Blackhawk Central President KEN D. SAGAR Labor Council Donate Lending Libraries [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer Labor come together to give back to the community CHARLIE WISHMAN On September 9th union mem- unions and many workplaces like ies that hold over 30 some books [email protected] bers from the Blackhawk Union Metro Transit held book drives all selected for their appropriate State Political Director Council delivered 15 self-con- that resulted in lending 15 Librar- content as well as subject matter. BETTY BRIM-HUNTER tained Lending Libraries to Elk [email protected] Run Early Childhood Education classrooms. Communications Director This book drive by the Union LANCE COLES Community Services Committee Iowa Federation of Labor [email protected] with help from Dickey’s Print- Political Organizer ing, Barnes & Noble book store BEN MURRY and the Cedar Valley United 2015 [email protected] Way took place over the last 11 months and will continue until Political Organizer May of 2015. TRACY LEONE During last year’s United Way Legislative [email protected] Campaign the Director, Dr. Sud- Bookkeeper duth, shared the need for books JAMIE MILLER that teachers could send with their Conference [email protected] students to their homes so that parents could read them with their Administrative Assistant children. LEEANN AMBLER “We know that a quality early February 16-17 [email protected] childhood education will have Iowa ARA Organizer long lasting positive effects on The MIDGE SLATER students and we hope the librar- [email protected] ies will help make these pro- Meadows grams more successful.” said John Padget, Iowa AFL-CIO Communi- at ty Services Liaison for Blackhawk (Waterloo) CLC. Prairie (812) 923-1111 The committee is made up of Meadows union members from many local October 2014 IOWA AFL-CIO NEWS Page 3 Labor 2014: Volunteers Still Needed With low voter turnout expect- them to see where those sites are lo- 515-262-0571 • [email protected]. 2411 W. Central Park ed this November, it is critical that cated. The Secretary of State (Iowa) Labor 2014 Offices around Iowa: Davenport, IA 52804 union members and our families web page sos.iowa.gov also has a Tracy Leone go to the polls and vote this year. A list of where you can vote, forms to LABOR CAMPAIGN OFFICES 309-738-3196 large percentage of union members get and other voting information. in Iowa are registered to vote, yet in Go to Iowalabornews.com and Cedar Rapids Quad Cities the last few elections too many of us check out the list of Union endorsed IBEW Local 405 USW 105 failed to show up. candidates and current labor walks. 1211 Wiley Blvd SW 880 Devils Glenn Road And the results show that there We are stronger together. That Cedar Rapids, IA 53404 Bettendorf, Iowa 52806 were several races that were lost by is what union membership is all Jim Beach Tracy Leone a very few votes. about. If we work together dur- 563-299-3004 309-738-3196 Along with our affiliates and ing this election period to get more CLCs, the Iowa Federation of Labor union sisters and brothers to vote Des Moines has developed a statewide election for our endorsed candidates, we 2000 Walker St, Suite A Ottumwa plan to get the labor vote out. Re- will restore the balance of power, Des Moines, IA 50317 UFCE 230 lease staff can’t do this alone. We stop attacks on working people and Mark Fallis 1305 East Mary need your help. build an economy that works for ev- 515-262-9571 Ottumwa, Iowa 52501 Make sure you are registered to eryone. vote and that you are in the right Check out the endorsed Union Iowa City Sioux City voting area.