Ram anti-union bill through first, Legislative Coffee later [View all]

" Under the new legislation, unions representing the state’s teachers, nurses, correctional officers and employees at facilities like the Glenwood Resource Center will only be allowed to negotiate wages. Workers will no longer be able to collectively bargain for benefits - such as health insurance and vacation time – or working conditions related to work schedules, overtime pay and employee evaluation procedures. The legislation also prohibits unions from collecting dues through payroll deduction and requires every union to be recertified before negotiations can take place.
The legislation was passed swiftly with strong partisan support from Republicans, who control both houses of the Iowa Legislature for the first time in two decades. Democrats, labor unions and other opponents have accused Republicans of intentionally keeping the public in the dark about the legislation before fast-tracking the bill through committee votes. Content of the bill was made public Feb. 7 with a vote for final passage in the Senate taking place nine days later.
A member of the audience at Saturday’s briefing questioned why Sieck and Costello failed to mention the potential for a collective bargaining bill at their Jan. 21 legislative briefing in Glenwood, a community with a significant number of public employees.
“Why are we having a meeting after the fact, after this has been pushed through?” she asked."


http://www.opinion-tribune.com/content/legislative-briefing-attracts-overflow-crowd

My note: A member of this crowd also noted that Governor Branstad was in the Des Moines Register with a picture as he signed this bill. One of the Koch brothers was broadly gleaming over his shoulder. I will post if I can find this article. Shock and Awe comes to Iowa.