Amie here. If you’re an Iowan, you already have a higher cancer risk than the rest of the US for reasons we’re currently exploring in ISL’s Cancer in Iowa series.
But some workers face extra cancer risks.
This week’s story, in fact, dives into
the risk outdoor workers have in particular: skin cancer.
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My colleague Zachary Oren Smith interviews stone mason Aaron Knight and farmworker Kim Schmidt, both of whom work outdoors and have a family history of melanoma.
But the sun’s not the only cancer risk Iowa workers face.
Former US Department of Energy workers who worked at either the Ames Laboratory or the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Burlington are eligible for free medical screenings because of their exposure to “hazardous or radioactive substances” on the job. Around 6,000 former workers have been served through the program, most with lung disease. Thanks to reader Michelle S., who sent us this tip!
“My mom, who was employed at the Burlington plant during the Vietnam War, was part of the program,” Michelle wrote. “She was given a 30% chance of living three years after her diagnosis. She passed seven years after her diagnosis and would have lost her life, and her quality of life, much sooner if it had not been for the program.”
Employers can do something about cancer, too.
The Linn County Worksite Wellness Committee is hosting “Addressing Cancer in the Workplace” on Sept. 10 to “teach employers how to reduce cancer risk through prevention, early detection, and healthy lifestyle choices; navigate legal obligations regarding medical leave of absence; [and] support employees with a cancer diagnosis with clarity and compassion.” Find more information and sign up here.
Are you worried about cancer at your job? Email me.
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Amie Rivers
Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line
Member, COURIER United (WGA East)
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Hey, it’s Rob Sand, candidate for Iowa governor.
With Gov. Kim Reynolds out of the race, we have a huge opportunity to take back Iowa from partisan insiders.
My career has been about tackling fraud and corruption. As a prosecutor for the Iowa Attorney General’s office I took on the largest lotto rigging contest in US history—and won. As state auditor, I’ve cracked down on waste, fraud, and abuse to protect Iowa taxpayers—no matter if Democrats or Republicans are doing it.
Now I’m running for governor to continue fighting for every Iowan. I hope you’ll contribute even just a few dollars to help fuel our grassroots campaign. Thanks.
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Paid for by Rob Sand for Governor and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
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A ‘Save Our VA’ picket in Iowa City took place on Wednesday, with dozens of Iowans showing up to protest not only the Trump administration’s mass firings at the Veterans Administration, but now the termination of its union contracts with workers.
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Labor Day in Iowa: Monday is Labor Day in the US, and the Iowa Federation of Labor has a listing of picnics and parades across Iowa here. But it’ll be more than that this year, as protests and rallies are planned simultaneously for the holiday, including from May Day Strong.
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Nursing shortage: US Rep. Zach Nunn was in Clive this week talking up a bill he introduced nearly two years ago that he says would help with the national nursing shortage by studying the problem and recommending changes to grant programs to help put more faculty in nursing schools, among other things. Yet Nunn declined to support a bill that would require safe staffing levels—which advocacy groups say would actually help keep nurses on the job.
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Ready to strike in Le Mars: Around 200 workers at the Le Mars Kemps plant, who unionized with Teamsters in December, are hoping to bargain successfully with the company this month—but after they say they got a “disrespectful” first offer, the workforce voted to authorize a strike if necessary.
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Four months to find work on Medicaid: Gov. Kim Reynolds doesn’t want to wait until 2027 to implement new federal rules requiring certain people on Medicaid to work at least 80 hours per month—she’s implementing the rule a year earlier, starting Jan. 1, as the state has already passed a similar bill.
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No longer welcome? Immigrants are leaving or being deported from the US in record numbers—1.5 million, according to Pew Research. That’s the Trump administration’s goal, even as farming operations, meatpackers and more are increasingly without the workforce they need. It’s something Senator Bernie Sanders came to West Liberty to talk about recently. Escucha Mi Voz is inviting the community to a rally to protest a new ICE checkpoint being set up in Cedar Rapids at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 3351 Square D Drive SW.
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‘DEI is DOA’ in Iowa was the message US Rep. Randy Feenstra and state Rep. Taylor Collins wanted to impose on Iowa’s three state university presidents in a letter sent to the Board of Regents last week. Of course, it’s all part of a larger conservative push to regulate exactly what, and exactly who (certainly not “diverse” folks), can be taught. And it’s something that the rest of us should start pushing back on.
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Care workers were deemed “essential” by President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, his Department of Labor wants to strip away their most basic wage protections—potentially cutting pay for over a million women.
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Red states spend less on education: On average, states with a Republican trifecta, like Iowa, spend $141 less per K-12 student than states without a Republican trifecta, according to EPI. For districts in high-poverty neighborhoods, trifecta states spend $244 less per pupil. Spending is closely related to student achievement, and Iowa has dropped to 27th in the nation in K-12 education.
- Sign this: Labor Demands an End to the Assault on the Right to Organize and Protest (Labor for Democracy)
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Voting on a union: Twenty-four x-ray radiographers and lead workers with American Ordnance in Middletown vote Sept. 17 on whether to unionize with IAM Local 1010.
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Starting up a union: Fifty full- and part-time workers at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa refiled a petition to unionize Aug. 8 with River Hills United/Teamsters Local 90. A total of 1,776 full- and part-time registered nurses and PRNs at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines filed a petition to unionize Aug. 21 with Teamsters Local 90.
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- FedEx is laying off 168 workers at three locations by Monday: 57 workers in Cedar Rapids, 84 workers in Des Moines, and 27 workers in Dubuque. Read more here.
- Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 11 workers by Sept. 8, 44 workers by Sept. 22, 10 workers by Oct. 4, and 10 workers by Oct. 18.
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Winnebago Industries is closing and laying off 18 workers in Charles City and 77 workers in Waverly by Sept. 8, and laying off another 26 workers in Charles City by Dec. 12. Read more here.
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TreeHouse Foods in New Hampton is closing and laying off 48 workers by Sept. 12. Read more here.
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John Deere in Waterloo is laying off 71 workers at the Waterloo Works (Foundry) by Sept. 19. Read more here.
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