Search
"Foundation in Education" was the motto on the Iowa quarter issued in 2004. In my thirty-seven years serving in Iowa public schools as a teacher, principal, and superintendent, I was so proud to be an educator in a state that valued education as much as this one. Yet,...
Hate junk fees that companies tack on right before checkout? Well, here’s some good news: Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and other major ticketing companies announced Thursday that they’ve agreed to institute “all-in” pricing, meaning that consumers will no longer be...
More than 5 million Native Americans live in the United States as members of 574 federally recognized and 63 state-recognized tribes. That number is projected to rise to 10 million by 2060. Stacker ranked the states with the largest Native American populations using data from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.
What does "right to work" actually mean?Unions can't require workers to pay duesYou're guaranteed a job if you want oneYou can't be fired without causeIowa passed its right-to-work law in what year?1947200220151962True or false: Right-to-work...
May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and for the past few weeks, the Biden administration has announced a series of efforts to address the nation’s growing mental health crisis. Those come on top of the administration’s legislative achievements on mental health,...
As union construction workers practiced their trade in the background, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Iowa officials Thursday to celebrate the progress of a $20 million update to the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. The project was made...
You may have heard the phrase “right to work,” as in, “Iowa is a right-to-work state.” But what does right-to-work mean, and how does that government policy impact you as a worker?
A Republican effort to reverse President Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief plan could cause more than a quarter-million public service workers to lose out on already-canceled loans and push more than 2 million more into greater debt, according to a new report from...
Some residual checks can barely cover an In-N-Out burger.
Some student workers at Grinnell College are on strike as of Wednesday to raise wages and to create better on-the-job discrimination and harassment protections for all student workers. The strike began Wednesday after Grinnell, a private college in Poweshiek County,...
The Iowa House Tuesday passed the Legislature’s child labor bill, SF 542, with significant amendments to change some of the language that allowed minors to work in dangerous occupations. Some of those amendments included changes suggested by House Democrats, but the...
Slowly but surely, many Americans are shedding their coats and heading outdoors to embrace the welcomed change of seasons as spring unfolds around the country. Using historical weather data and various event listings, Stacker gathered 50 different looks at spring around the country.
More than 1,300 species in the U.S. are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Stacker compiled a list of 25 endangered animals that are only found in the United States.
Certain books deserve a first, second, or maybe even a third read. Using data from Goodreads released in January 2023, Stacker compiled a list of 50 timeless books, plays, and epic poems commonly found on high school reading lists.
Iowa Senate Republicans have a solution for the state's ongoing workforce shortage: Child labor. In a 32-17 vote just before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Senate advanced SF 542, which relaxes Iowa’s child labor laws and allows teenagers to work in more hazardous job...
A major eastern Iowa employer has closed abruptly, laying off 81 people. Richelieu Foods in Grundy Center told Iowa Workforce Development on Feb. 28 it would be getting rid of 81 jobs by April 28 and closing its plant. According to the Grundy Register, the company...
The lead sponsor of two bills that would outlaw gay marriage in Iowa—where it has been legal since 2009—told his Iowa House colleague his bills aren’t actually about banning gay marriage despite the language in the bills doing just that. Starting Line acquired a copy...
Ah, bridges: Those important infrastructure pieces that get people across Iowa's many ravines, rivers, and sometimes lakes. While they may need more work (like a lot more), at least you don't have to ford the river in your Subaru. Some Iowa bridges are even worth a...
A bill circulating through the Iowa Senate would officially eliminate all forms of slavery in Iowa. Although Iowa entered the union as a “free state” in the waning days of American chattel slavery, the Iowa Constitution still allows for the enslavement of people as a...
Could Iowa finally get on board with the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact (MIPRC)? A new legislative bill hints at that possibility. An Iowa House Transportation Committee hearing was held on Tuesday for HSB 132, a bill that would allow the Hawkeye State to...
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office filed a bill Thursday that would fine school districts up to $5,000 for violating what her bill calls "parental rights" in education. The first violation would result in a written warning to a school board, and a second or subsequent...
This month, UE Local 896, The Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS)—the labor union representing nearly 2,000 graduate teaching assistants and research assistants at the University of Iowa (UI)—is beginning contract negotiations with the Iowa Board of Regents...
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is the state's whitest public university and the school's 50-year-old Black Student Union hopes to use Black History Month as a jumping-off point for several events that "open up doors for the strong and needed conversations."...
Rep. Jerome Amos Jr. was a career man at John Deere in Waterloo, but it was being an active member of the UAW local that inspired him to become involved in politics. During a union training session in Black Lake, Minnesota, a presenter told members in attendance to...
Gov. Kim Reynolds wants to reduce the number of state agencies and cut staff, but those who know and use the programs worry Iowans will suffer. Reynolds proposed a bill in the Iowa Legislature to slash Iowa's 37 cabinet-level positions to just 16—a 56% decrease—...
After more than eight months on strike, Burlington CNHi workers will be heading back to work with a new contract. United Auto Workers (UAW) members who work at the CNHi plant in Burlington, as well as another 600-some who work at one in Racine, Wisconsin, jointly...
Gov. Kim Reynolds says her 2017 law gutting collective bargaining for many state and local workers was "badly needed" and "Iowans are better for it." But advocates for those workers say the opposite has been true in the past six years, with fewer employees handling...
Iowa workers on strike since May have rejected the latest offer from Case-New Holland International to return to work, saying the company wasn't even offering what replacement workers are currently making. The strike of more than 1,000 workers involves United Auto...
As Iowa lawmakers kick off the 2023 session today, advocates for Iowa's working people worry majority Republicans will continue to pass more legislation that will hurt working families. "I just hope there aren't any more economic attacks," said Felicia Hilton,...
Incoming Iowa Rep. Jeff Cooling (D-Cedar Rapids), a newly elected legislator who begins his service today, said he’s most looking forward to bringing his common sense, real-world perspective on labor and workers' issues to the Iowa Legislature, and to learning new...
