Collective bargaining reform introduced
February 9, 2017
The Iowa Legislature on Tuesday introduced bills (SF 213 and HSB 84) that would reform how public employees bargain in the state of Iowa. The legislation makes many changes to laws governing collective bargaining for wages, healthcare and other benefits for public employees and school teachers. It mostly excludes public safety professionals from the bill. The House Labor Committee passed the bill on Wednesday evening. The Senate Labor Committee is scheduled to take up the legislation today at 1:30 p.m.
ABI is supporting the bill as part of our Streamline Government policy. Compared to other states, Iowa has a high number of public employees at all levels of government, especially considering the size of the state’s population. ABI members have expressed concern about this disparity, which has a great impact on taxpayers. For more information on the contents of the bill and to contact your legislator, click here. Legislators are hearing from opponents of the bill and they need to hear from individuals who support the legislation. The Iowa House will hold a public hearing on the collective bargaining bill on Monday at 6 pm. If you are interested in speaking at the public hearing, please contact Nicole Crain, ncrain@iowaabi.org.