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 fix something even without a union?

You may have heard about “crisis intervention” or “crisis response” teams, which send social workers or other licensed mental health professionals with law enforcement to address and de-escalate situations involving mental health issues.

Cities like Cedar Rapids and regional organizations like Elevate are two examples of them in Iowa.

The idea behind a crisis intervention team is to reduce violence.

But Christie Cellman, a disability advocate from Ottumwa with a master’s degree in social work, said an armed officer can actually increase the risk—and that’s especially worrisome when someone with a disability is involved.

“There is a very high percentage of people with disabilities that are harmed and even killed at the hands of police,” Cellman said.

She has a different idea, and one that would put more community members to work.

It’s this week’s top story.

Watch the latest edition of Clocked In on:

Do you think her idea could work in Iowa? Reply and tell me.

Amie Rivers

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Member, COURIER United (WGA East)

Email me

Prices keep rising: Prices are up 3.8% from a year ago, according to this week’s Labor Department report, with gas, other fuel, and housing prices as the big drivers. That’s widening the rich-poor gap even more. Blame the unauthorized war with Iran, which continues to limit our supplies from the Middle East.
That $12 billion farmer bailout is also being eaten up by rising prices caused by Trump’s war in Iran.
A Boeing worker in Kansas died after falling through crossbeams at the Wichita facility last month, and his labor union is demanding the company put in a better safety plan.
River Hills closes two health care clinics, including one trying to unionize: The company closed its Richland Dental Clinic in Keokuk County last month, and this week announced it would close its Centerville clinic at the end of July, in both cases citing slashed Medicaid funding for the closures.

(I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but 21 healthcare workers at that Centerville clinic had just filed a petition May 1 for the right to vote on unionizing with River Hills United, affiliated with Teamsters Local 90).
Help fix homes in Des Moines: If you’re 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED in the Des Moines area, you can apply to a four-month Work That Impacts Housing program in carpentry or electrical to build workforce needs as well as preserve housing in Polk County.
Maybe rethink college? With unemployment rising and the labor market weakening in the US, particularly for young college graduates, college degrees are losing their wage premium.
Working on a union: Eighteen full- and part-time maintenance workers at Fair Oaks Foods in Davenport filed a petition Monday for the right to vote on unionizing 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:
one worker by May 22,
seven workers by May 29,
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 May 30,
25 workers by June 13, and
10 workers by June 27.
Read more here.
First Student in Waterloo is closing and laying off 120 workers by June 30. Read more here.

What happens when you need an issue resolved but don’t have a union? Or if your state makes it illegal to bargain?

In North Carolina, one of six states that prohibit collective bargaining for school workers, teachers built up enough power to force their employers to negotiate with them anyway.

Here’s how they did it.