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 Cargill to rip health care away from its workers in the middle of a strike is nothing short of cruel,” said Scott Punteney, business agent for Teamsters Local 238, which represents the workers.

“It’s a disgraceful tactic designed to force workers back into dangerous conditions for less than they deserve,” he added.

Striking Cargill workers show off their inflatable alien mascot on the strike line outside of Cargill Corn in Cedar Rapids, Oct. 10, 2024.

(Amie Rivers/Iowa Starting Line)

“My coworkers are hardworking people who have given years—some decades—of their lives to this company, and this is the thanks we get?” asked Joe Kirchhoff, chief union steward. “This isn’t just about pay anymore. It’s about basic human decency.“

The Teamsters are asking the company to reinstate workers’ health insurance and “return to the bargaining table with a fair deal that respects the contributions of these essential workers.” Negotiations have thus far been stalled, I am told.

Have you ever been through a strike where your health insurance has been cut off, and have advice for these workers (or words of support)? I’ll run any responses in Friday’s newsletter.

Amie Rivers

Community Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Email me

This week’s Iowa worker news:

Need health insurance? Whether you just lost it, like Cargill workers, or have been without it for a while, open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act is available again starting Friday, and most can get it for $10 a month. Iowa Navigator is a free nonprofit program that offers assistance enrolling; click here to learn more or find a phone number to call.
Waukee printing plant closing: The Wisconsin-owned Quad plant announced last week it would close up its Waukee location in January, laying off its 88-person workforce. Waukee was Quad’s last Iowa location; it closed its Marengo plant in 2014, and its Dubuque one in 2013.
Not having cashiers is costing Hy-Vee more money: Officially, Hy-Vee says it wants to “provide a better customer experience” by removing self-checkout stations from its stores. But an anonymous clerk told IPR it’s because of self-checkout theft, which is why many stores are ditching it.
Iowa is shedding health care jobs: More than 4,100 jobs have been lost in the category of “health care and social assistance” in the past two months, according to Iowa Workforce Development. We can’t imagine THIS has anything to do with it! (or the item below!)
New major Iowa nursing home owner worse than the old one: Iowa-based ABCM Corp. is selling 29 Iowa nursing homes to private equity firm Cascade Capital Group, which Iowa Capital Dispatch points out has 17 times as many federal fines for poor quality care as ABCM did. (Meanwhile, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is fighting a law that would require minimum nursing home staffing.)
FTC investigating Deere over right to repair: The Federal Trade Commission, which has been investigating companies with what it says are illegal restrictions on repairs, has now turned its sights on Deere and Co.
JD Vance is now a “scab”: The striking journalists at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who have been holding the line for more than two years, said Trump’s VP pick crossed the picket line for publishing an op-ed in the paper last week.
Trump’s feelings on worker rights: Steven Greenhouse at The Guardian rounded up 10 of Donald Trump’s most egregious anti-worker statements, including that wages are “too high,” advocating for firing striking workers (illegal), and that a “child” could build cars.
Will the Supreme Court demolish the National Labor Relations Board? If the 6-3 conservative and big-business friendly court does sometime in the future (or even just gets rid of parts of it), the question then becomes: Are unions prepared for what to do next?
Boeing remains on strike after its 33,000 striking workers—out for more than 40 days—rejected the company’s latest offer.
Major film distributors are refusing to release a critically acclaimed pro-union documentary about Amazon. So the filmmakers have an alternate strategy for getting “Union” distributed.
No slavery—even in prison: California could become the biggest state to ban the practice of forcing prisoners to work if Prop 6 passes next week. (It is still legal in Iowa.)
Iowa layoffs coming up in the next month:
– Chicago Rivet and Machine Co. in Albia is closing and laying off 19 workers by Thursday. Read more here.

– Continuus Materials in Des Moines is closing and laying off 32 workers by Friday. Read more here.

– Gates Corporation in Newton is closing and laying off 30 workers by Friday, three workers by Nov. 15, and six workers by Nov. 22. Read more here.

– Omaha Standard in Council Bluffs is laying off 49 workers by Friday.

– Tyson Foods in Perry is still closing, with another 19 workers to be laid off by Friday.

– JELD-WEN in Grinnell is laying off 152 workers by Nov. 7. Read more here.

– Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 47 workers by Nov. 18, and eight workers by Dec. 1.

– Cygnus Home Services, aka Yelloh, is closing five Iowa locations, and laying off 13 workers in Atlantic, eight in Dyersville, 10 in Marion, 10 in Sioux City, and 12 in West Union, all by Nov. 22. Read more here.

– Winnebago Industries in Forest City is laying off 33 workers by Nov. 22.

Before you punch out 🤑

Everyone upset about major newspapers refusing to endorse a presidential candidate should know it is absolutely about newspaper owners hedging their bets.

The owners of the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times— two of the big ones that just announced they’d drop endorsements—don’t really care if you drop your subscription.

They do care, however, about making sure they haven’t accidentally not endorsed the next occupant of the White House, so they can convince them to give rich folks huge tax breaks.

(Send me your book/movie/article suggestions here.)