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, February, and nearly all of March, to make up the difference.

There are several reasons for that, not least of which is a society that upholds men being in charge and devalues so-called “women’s work” like teaching, health care, and tipped work.

But it’s also because of policy choices our elected officials make at the state and federal levels—especially in recent years, which have contributed to widening that gap this year.

“We’ve really stalled out on our progress in our country around closing that gap,” said Jennifer Sherer, the Iowa-based deputy director of state policy and research at the Economic Policy Institute. “And, in 2025, we even went backwards a little bit.”

It’s this week’s top story.

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Amie Rivers

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Member, COURIER United (WGA East)

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Workers are struggling: More workers report struggling in their lives (49%) than thriving (46%), according to a new Gallup poll, a reversal from just three years ago.
Just ask Whirlpool Amana workers, still reeling from layoffs after Trump’s promised manufacturing boom.
Rising power costs are hitting Iowa hard: Shutoff notices jumped nearly 10% last year and about 170,000 families fell behind on utility bills as winter shutoff protections expired. Democrats in Congress recently introduced the Energy Bills Relief Act to lower electricity costs by restoring clean energy tax credits, expanding efficiency and weatherization programs, and offering direct help to households to avoid shutoffs.
Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo canceled a lantern festival because they couldn’t get enough visas for their Chinese workers.
“They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor.” And the Iran war is driving up fertilizer prices in addition to fuel.
ICE is in some airports now, doing jack shit, apparently. TSA agents still aren’t getting paid, with reports that some are “beginning to starve.”
The Trump administration cutting off child care subsidies because they wanted to look into fraud in Minnesota is having ripple effects across the country.
Buying, and renting too: More places to buy, like condominiums, now come with pricey HOA fees on top of the selling price—around 44% of all new homes for sale in 2025.
Striking at JBS: 3,800 meatpacking workers at a JBS beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, walked off the job on March 16, particularly upset that line speeds are being sped up dangerously while hours are being cut.
Don’t worry about following the law: The Department of Labor is telling states to use waivers provided under the main federal workforce development law to disregard requirements on how they spend federal jobs money—which Democrats say could open states up to lawsuits.
“Arbitrary and capricious.” That’s what a judge said of Kari Lake’s decision to lay off 1,042 Voice of America workers. The workers will now be reinstated. “VOA is a beacon for people all over the world living under authoritarian rule, from Iran to North Korea, by delivering reliable, objective journalism where it is needed most,” said Reporters Without Borders director general Thibaut Bruttin. “We will not accept any attempt to dismantle or turn it into a propaganda arm of the Trump White House.”
Voting on a union: After five ballots were challenged, 45 full- and part-time workers at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa won their union, 27-19, and will be represented by Teamsters Local 90. (I’ll have more from River Hills workers in next week’s edition!)

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

American Contract Systems in Grimes is closing and laying off 47 workers by Tuesday. Apparently, they were supposed to close last July, laying off 62 workers, which you can read about here.
CNH Industrial in Burlington is closing and laying off four workers by Wednesday, 47 workers by Apr. 2, 16 workers by Apr. 8, six workers by Apr. 9, 21 workers by Apr. 10, 14 workers by Apr. 13, four workers by Apr. 17, four by Apr. 24, 18 workers by Apr. 30, 27 workers by May 1, one worker by May 22, and seven workers by May 29. Read more here.
Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 49 workers by Apr. 4, two workers by Apr. 18, and seven workers by May 2. Read more here.