The newsletter for the Iowa worker.
It’s Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024.
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Hey folks, it’s Amie.
I just got back from an amazing 2-day course on reporting on the workplace, and am now even more psyched to dig deep into stories about Iowa workers’ struggles.
We all had to take one big idea into this course. So I took one I’ve been wanting to cover for a while:
- Are children working in dangerous jobs in Iowa packing plants, factories, and construction, like they are across the country?
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And how big is the problem here?
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I had wonderful luck: One panelist was Hannah Dreier, a reporter at the New York Times who has spent the past two years documenting widespread child labor violations in these industries across the US.
Not only are these children—many of them immigrants—put to work in dangerous occupations in order to send money back to their families or pay off their traffickers, inspectors who are supposed to catch these child labor violations are failing at their jobs.
And children are being injured, and even dying, as a result.
Iowa Republicans, you may recall, made it even easier last year for companies to legally employ children in more dangerous occupations and for longer hours, all afoul of federal labor standards (but with the support of business lobbyists). And they’re basically daring the US Department of Labor to try and stop them, even while saying they want to “protect children.”
Got a good idea for how I should cover this story? (I can keep you anonymous.) Let me know here.
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Overdraft fees could drop to as low as $3 under new Biden proposal 🏧
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Overdraft fees—when a bank charges you for being broke—could soon be capped at the largest banks in the US.
The cost to overdraw a bank account could drop to as little as $3 under a proposal announced by the White House, the latest effort by the Biden administration to combat fees it says pose an unnecessary burden on American consumers, particularly those living paycheck to paycheck.
The rules wouldn’t affect smaller banks and credit unions and wouldn’t go into effect until the fall of 2025. Still, the new Biden rule could save low-income Americans hundreds of dollars a year or more.
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This week’s Iowa worker news:
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Iowa hotels would no longer be inspected regularly for asbestos or sanitation reasons under a new Iowa Senate bill. If SSB 3064 passes, hotels would only be inspected if the Department of Inspection, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) gets a “complaint, referral, injury, accident, or media notification, or in case of imminent danger.” The bill passed out of subcommittee on Tuesday.
Because those constant recertification elections aren’t working to stop teacher unions, Iowa Republicans now hope telling newly hired teachers they don’t *have* to join a union will work instead. Here’s HF 2061: “Prior to entering into an initial contract with a teacher, the school district shall provide the teacher with written notice that the teacher is not required to become a member of an employee organization.” Notable lobbyists supporting the bill include the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition as well as the out-of-state, anti-union organization Mackinac Center.
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Universal basic income (UBI) programs would be banned in Iowa under a new House bill proposed by Rep. Steve Holt. It seems to be targeted at Iowa’s sole UBI program, UpLift, which is running a pilot UBI program in central Iowa providing 110 Iowans $500 per month to help meet basic needs. The bill passed out of subcommittee last week.
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Planned Parenthood, Iowa employees reach tentative agreement: Around 430 employees of Planned Parenthood health care clinics across five states, including Iowa, have reached a tentative first agreement with the company and their union, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa. The deal, if ratified, includes pay raises, lower health care costs, and “robust language” on harassment and racial justice. Workers unionized a year and a half ago.
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UNFI is unified: Fifty-six drivers at United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), which includes those at locations in Iowa City and Clear Lake, voted overwhelmingly to unionize with Teamsters Local 238 last month. “The drivers here are excited to finally have union representation,” said Chris Elder, a driver for UNFI. “We’re all looking forward to going to the bargaining table and making this a better place to work.” Recently hoping to unionize: Four mechanics and service techs with Herc Rentals in Cumming.
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For more information or to register by Feb. 8, click here.
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Thanks for reading.
This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers.
Iowa Starting Line is happily free to read for everyone.
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