From the ground up

     Last week I’ve spent time attending to my committee responsibilities in Agriculture, Commerce and Transportation through committee and subcommittee meetings. I have also spent a great deal of time reading and responding to your messages and listening to your calls concerning SF 213/HF 291 which addresses reform of Chapter 20, collective bargaining.

     I appreciate hearing from the people of District 48 on this legislation. I have received messages of support and messages of confusion. It is my true belief this bill is good for Iowans.

     Your messages have come in by the hundreds and I want to assure you I am listening. The greatest concerns from you are: 1. Employees are fearful of losing benefits and 2. There is a lack of trust in your local officials to meet the needs of teachers and state employees.

     There have been many rumors and myths discussed and I hope to state some of the facts to keep you better informed. Following is a breakdown of some of the most talked about concerns from your e-mail messages the past few weeks. I hope this helps to calm the fears and confusion circling the collective bargaining reform.

Myth: Collective bargaining in Iowa has worked since it was enacted in 1974.

Fact: The system clearly is not working. Democrats tried to upend collective bargaining in 2008. Their proposed changes passed were so extreme that their bill was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Culver.

Myth: The Republicans are using this bill to bust public sector unions in Iowa.

Fact: If the goal is to bust unions, this bill would delete Chapter 20 entirely.

Myth: Teachers will make less money, will be less safe and enjoy fewer benefits.

Fact: This bill will give school districts the opportunity to give good teachers more money, not less. By taking supplemental pay out of union negotiations, school districts can develop plans to provide more compensation to specialized and high performing teachers in their district.

   State and local governments invest in their workers and don’t want to lose them. This bill would create a marketplace for teachers in Iowa and create incentives for districts to offer competitive wage and benefit packages to keep their best teachers.

Myth: Teachers will have no protection from inaccurate or misleading accusations made against them from students, parents or administrators.

Fact: Teachers will still be provided due process to have their concern heard by their superintendent and local school board. Teachers can still be represented by attorneys or employee organizations, even if they are in a nonunion workplace. There are also options for nonunion teachers to obtain professional insurance to protect them in these circumstances.

Myth: By weakening collective bargaining, public employers will struggle to maintain stable workforces.

Fact: The state, cities, counties and schools have an incentive to provide stable productive workplaces for the good of constituents, students and anyone else who interacts with government in Iowa. Therefore, administrators understand the need to pay competitive salaries, offer reasonable benefits and provide a safe work environment.

Myth: Republicans did not campaign on this issue.

Fact: Republicans campaigned on making government smaller, smarter and more efficient. Collective bargaining reform is an important tool for accomplishing this goal.

Myth: There is nothing to protect individual workers from supervisors that want them fired.

Fact: This bill adds to Chapter 20 language restating public workers enjoy protections under other sections of the Iowa Code, including whistleblower and civil rights protections. Additionally, these workers enjoy protections through the courts.

   Employers have an interest in treating their workers fairly. It is expensive to recruit and train new employees.

   All public employers are ultimately governed by elected representatives. Employees can always discuss their situation with the appropriate elected officials.

Facts: 1. Workers and teachers will continue bargaining for wages.

     2. Workers and teachers will continue to have health insurance.

     3. Workers and teachers will continue with IPERS.

     4. Local School Boards can make local decisions without being dictated from the state what is best for their school.

     5. Schools can offer more dollars for high-need positions, if they choose.

     6. Workers and teachers can bargain for more, locally, for higher achievement. Hard and quality work can be rewarded.

   I understand change can be difficult. Local control will allow for closer-to-home decisions, which are typically better decisions for the community.

   I will continue to work hard to represent the 60,000-plus people in this district who are invested in this legislation. My ears are open, and I truly appreciate those who take the time to reach out to me to ask questions and voice their concerns. Please know all of my constituents’ thoughts are taken into consideration during my decision-making process.