Newsletters
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Why I’ve Been Away
Share with a friend Amie here, and I am attempting to return to writing Starting Line’s newsletters after a month’s hiatus. That’s because, in December, we lost my wife, Shenae. It is deeply painful, the hardest thing I’ve gone through. Her family, friends and I are still going through it all. My guess…
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Thanks for Another Year, Iowa❤️
Share with a friend It’s the Friday news roundup: Dec. 20, 2024. Hey, Iowa Starting Line readers! If you’re a Positively Iowa fan, you might recognize my name. For those of you who aren’t (which… why not?), I’m Starting Line’s social media manager, Avery! I’m helping out with newsletters this week so Amie can…
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🚜 Waterloo Took Brunt of 2024 Deere Layoffs
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Another round of layoffs at John Deere is coming to Iowa. This time, 112 workers will be laid off from the East Donald Street plant in Waterloo by Jan. 6, while another 80 will be laid off at the plant in Davenport by Jan.…
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🦃 Who Has to Work on Thanksgiving?
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. My coworkers and I at Iowa Starting Line are lucky to have this Thursday and Friday off for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I’m getting you this newsletter early this week. It made me wonder: How many workers don’t get Thanksgiving/Friday off? Obviously,…
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🌽 Big Problems for Ag Workers
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you already know about the thousands of layoffs at meatpacking plants like Tyson Foods in Perry, and the thousands—in smaller batches—of workers laid off at John Deere plants across the state (in part to move some…
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🧑🔧 What About Listening to the Working Class?
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. I’ve been reading several takes on what went wrong for Democrats in this election. And there’s one that actually resonates: The party as a whole needed to do a better job centering the working class. Before you furiously hit reply, look: I know…
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🧑🔧 Cargill Cuts Off Health Insurance to Cedar Rapids Strikers
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Cargill Corn workers in Cedar Rapids told me they don’t want you to forget about their struggle against the world’s largest grain trader. And that’s especially important this week, as Cargill cut off health insurance for its nearly 100 workers on strike. “For…
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🧑🔧 6 Anti-Worker Policies Passed By the Iowa Legislature
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. If you care about workers’ rights, or upholding federal child labor laws, or even being fiscally responsible with your tax dollars, you should know what your elected leaders have been up to in the Iowa Legislature before you fill out your ballot. Iowa Republicans…
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🪧 Cargill Strikers: ‘Don’t Forget About Us’
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. At last Thursday’s rally at Cargill Corn Milling in Cedar Rapids, where around 100 Teamsters-affiliated workers have been on a Cargill strike since Oct. 1, workers talked about the disrespect they say they’ve gotten from their company during negotiations. (Read my stories about how…
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🥾 ‘Respect’ Biggest Issue For Cargill Strikers
Share with a friend It’s Worker Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. I went to the strike line at Cargill Corn Milling in Cedar Rapids last week, visiting with a few of the roughly 100 Teamsters-affiliated workers who have been on strike since Oct. 1. And those workers kept coming back to one major issue: Respect.…
