Worker’s Almanac
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Money for union-busters, but can’t pay the workers?
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Welcome to Thursday’s Almanac, for and about Iowa’s workers. If break time’s over, here’s the tl;dr: This Iowa hospital chain spent $2.14 million on union-busting consultants in 2025; Upcoming Iowa layoffs and Iowa labor news; Local officials didn’t even know this hospital was…
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What if this made crisis intervention better in Iowa?
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Welcome to Thursday’s Almanac—by, about, and for Iowa workers! If break time’s over, here’s the tl;dr: Solving a crisis without armed police? This Ottumwa woman thinks it could work; Upcoming Iowa layoffs and labor news briefs; Can you get your boss to…
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Iowa’s workforce is shrinking—see how much since 2010
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Amie here; welcome to Thursday’s Almanac. If break time’s over, here’s the tl;dr: Iowa and other rural areas lost a ton of working-age folks just in the last 15 years; Upcoming Iowa layoffs and labor news; Are you misclassified as a contractor?…
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Could this help small Iowa farmers thrive?
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Welcome to Thursday’s Almanac. Don’t forget to call in sick tomorrow. If break time’s over, here’s the tl;dr: Luther College student goes to World Bank with big ideas on helping small farmers; Upcoming Iowa layoffs; Iowa labor news briefs; Where are those…
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‘I’m done.’ Des Moines worker moving to Germany
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Amie here with a quick correction: I had the wrong link for Workers Memorial Day events around Iowa on April 28! Here’s the correct one, and I’ve also changed it on our website. (Thanks to reader Caroline L. for catching that!) If break…
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College grads can’t find work. Could this help?
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Amie here. It’s a tough job market for recent college graduates right now. But at least two colleges in Iowa are trying to help bridge the workforce gap. “It is a highly competitive world right now for graduates,” said Rick Sanders, president of…
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More Iowa health care workers unionize; here’s how
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Logan Thomas, a nurse at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa, had never unionized before. But he saw the news of thousands of nurses at UnityPoint hospitals in Des Moines unionizing over working conditions, and knew he wanted to try at his…
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Why Iowa women earn less than men
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Amie here. Today—Thursday, March 26—is Equal Pay Day, a day highlighting how much less the average American woman makes compared to the average American man. In 2025, women made 18.6% less than men, meaning they’d have to work all of 2025, plus January,…
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State wants to force biased curriculum on universities
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend 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…
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Unpaid workers making up for Medicaid shortfall
Inside: News about and for the working class Share with a friend Amie here. This week, I spoke with an Iowa woman who says the government’s Medicaid cuts mean she’s relying on unpaid care work from her friends. Christie Cellman is a 39-year-old Ottumwa native. She has her master’s in social work and is…
