Welcome to Thursday’s Almanac, for and about Iowa’s workers.

If break time’s over, here’s the tl;dr:

You have the right to take time off to vote in Iowa;
Upcoming Iowa layoffs and worker news;
What if the minimum wage were tied to the median wage?

Did you know you are guaranteed by law to have time off work to vote in an election in Iowa?

The primary election is June 2. That’s when voters help decide who their party should choose to run in the general election—and this year, that’s important offices like Iowa governor, and US House and Senate.

If that snuck up on you, and you have to work all day, don’t worry: Your boss is required to approve up to two hours off for you to leave work and go vote.

It’s this week’s top story.

Watch the latest edition of Clocked In on:

Read about your right to vote in Iowa →

Do you work a 12+ hour shift? Reply and tell me your voting experience.

Amie Rivers

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Member, COURIER United (WGA East)

Email me

It’s the economy, stupid: Nearly three-fourths of those polled recently said the American economy was “not so good” or “poor,” with two-thirds specifically worried about grocery prices (which are still on the rise).
Virginia now has paid leave: It’s the first state in the South to give nearly all workers in the state the right to paid family and medical leave. Now, 14 states and DC have such a policy. Iowa is not among them.
Massachusetts rideshare drivers win union, the first of its kind in the US. The approximately 70,000 drivers with the new App Drivers Union will now begin bargaining a contract with Uber and Lyft.
AFL-CIO endorses primary candidates: If you’re voting in your party’s primary election Tuesday and looking for labor-endorsed candidates, the Iowa Federation of Labor has a list of folks they’ve endorsed here.
Other union endorsements: The American Federation of Government Employees last week endorsed former state Rep. Christina Bohannan for US House District 1, state Rep. Lindsay James for US House District 2, and state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott for US House District 3. “They will stand up for federal workers, protect their rights, and fight for the communities they serve,” said AFGE District 8 National Vice President Ruark Hotopp. // AFSCME Council 61 endorsed a slate of candidates in the June 2 primary, including Dave Dawson for US House District 4.
Starting up a union: Fourteen full-time, part-time, and on-call bus and paratransit drivers at Siouxland Regional Transit System filed a petition May 18 to hold an election on whether to unionize with AFSCME Council 61.
Voting on a union: Eighteen full- and part-time maintenance workers at Fair Oaks Foods in Davenport will vote June 17 on whether to unionize with UFCW Local 431.

All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.

CNH Industrial in Burlington is closing and laying off:
seven workers by Friday,
15 workers by June 26,
13 workers by Sept. 25, and
five workers by Dec. 31.
Read more here.
Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off:
62 workers by Saturday,
25 workers by June 13,
10 workers by June 27,
29 workers by July 11, and
one worker by July 25.
Read more here.
First Student in Waterloo is closing and laying off 120 workers by June 30. Read more here.