Amie here. Dr. Chris Martin is a professor of communication and media at the University of Northern Iowa (and was also one of my UNI professors back in the aughts).
But he may be better known for his advocacy for workers.
Martin’s the author of a great book on what happened to workers in journalism, “No Longer Newsworthy,” and is also the president of UNI’s faculty union, where he has sounded the alarm over the years about proposed state laws (directly from out-of-state conservative think tanks) restricting teachers and students at Iowa’s public universities.
This year, the Iowa Legislature—desperate to indoctrinate the youth at a faster pace—introduced a couple dozen such bills.
And there’s three in particular that passed the House last week that Martin and other unions at Iowa and Iowa State are especially concerned about.
It’s this week’s top story.
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I also loved writer Todd Dorman’s take on this: “Only weak, authoritarian governments try to control history and compel patriotism,” he wrote this week. “Strong, free nations don’t hide from history.”
Do you work at a university, or attend school there, and worry about proposed legislation? Reply and tell me your experience.
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Amie Rivers
Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line
Member, COURIER United (WGA East)
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Local news is essential for democracy.
Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.
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“Eastern Iowa Airport seeks donations for TSA workers“
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Do you work for the Iowa City school district? Tell me if this Redditer is telling the truth.
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Man on the Move gets moving: A group that collects donations of businesswear for men reported serving 180 clients in and around Des Moines in February. If you’d like to donate, email rgbibens@dmacc.edu.
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Union backing Iowa bill: The
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union on Wednesday backed Iowa House File 2734, which would prohibit vertical integration in meat and poultry. Reps. J.D. Scholten and Rep. Josh Turek sponsored the bill in the House, and Sen. Zach Wahls sponsored it in the Senate. “These bills would level the playing field for workers to get fairer wages, farmers to get fairer prices, consumers to get lower prices, and for regional grocers and meat processors to get market access—resulting in more wealth for local communities instead of Wall Street,” said Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President at UFCW International.
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Cesar Chavez accusations: Two women in their 60s have come forward with allegations of being molested in the 1970s when they were teenagers by Chavez, the United Farm Workers co-founder and civil rights icon who died in 1993. (An annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration planned for March 31 was quickly scrapped by the UFW and other groups after learning of the allegations.)
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Living standards lower than in 2007: Americans were working an average of 15 more days per year in 2025 than in 2007 just to pay the basics: rent, food, and a used car. And let’s not even get into how 2026 is going to f*k us with rising gas prices and rising energy prices (oh, and cool that MidAmerican has the highest average margin in the nation).
- Farm bankruptcies are on the rise.
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Hoping for a crash: Gen Z adults, largely locked out of buying a home, are actively hoping for a housing crash to bring prices back down.
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American Latinos lost 1/5th of their wealth: According to a new report from Americans for Tax Fairness, Latino wealth as a share of US wealth dropped 20% over the last 10 years.
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Here’s what you would be making if wages kept up with productivity.
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We’re still boycotting Starbucks: Company officials claimed last week that workers at the coffee chain make an average of $30 per hour in wages and benefits. The Starbucks Workers United union pushed back. “The median Starbucks worker only makes about $14,500 a year… and those ‘world class’ benefits they tout are tied to an hour minimum many of us can’t access due to inadequate scheduling,” they wrote.
- A federal court this week said VA Secretary Doug Collins could not unilaterally rip up the union contract. “This is a win for union workers and for veterans,” said state Sen. Zach Wahls, noting one of his mothers is a union VA worker.
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Union endorsements: Keith Brown, a labor leader with the National Association of Letter Carriers, endorsed state Sen. Zach Wahls for US Senate recently. // Ironworkers Local 89 endorsed state Rep. Lindsay James for US Congress District 2 recently. “As a working mother, she knows the struggle everyday Iowans face,” said business manager Seth Gorman. “In Congress, we have no doubt she’ll stand for us, not the wealthy and well connected.”
- Voting on a union: Forty-five full- and part-time workers at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa voted, 23-19, to be represented by Teamsters Local 90. Five ballots are still being challenged.
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Sky Auto Mall in Center Point laid off 46 workers on March 6. Sky Chevrolet in Newhall laid off 30 workers on March 6. The company gave notice for both just three days earlier, in apparent violation of the WARN Acts. The dealership is being sued by an automaker for $12 million in fraud, after Stellantis said the owners secretly took out multiple loans on the same vehicles.
- Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 33 workers by Friday, 49 workers by Apr. 4, 2 workers by Apr. 18, and 7 workers by May 2. Read more here.
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CNH Industrial in Burlington is closing and laying off 4 workers by Monday, 4 workers by Apr. 1, 47 workers by Apr. 2, 16 workers by Apr. 8, 6 workers by Apr. 9, 21 workers by Apr. 10, 14 workers by Apr. 13, 4 workers by Apr. 17, 4 by Apr. 24, 18 workers by Apr. 30, 27 workers by May 1, 1 worker by May 22, and 7 workers by May 29. Read more here.
- Collis in Clinton is laying off 51 workers by Monday. Read more here.
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American Contract Systems in Grimes is closing and laying off 47 workers by Mar. 31. Apparently, they were supposed to close last July, laying off 62 workers, which you can read about here.
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Would you pass this newsletter along to your fellow workers?
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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers. It was edited by Brook Bolen.
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