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Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court heard a case challenging public unions ability to collect the funds necessary to bargain for their members and non-members alike. Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31" (known as...
The Service Employees International Union, which represents healthcare workers, is back in Iowa politics in a big way for 2018. A review of campaign finance reports show SEIU has already directed over $1.8 million to Cathy Glasson, their local president of SEIU 199,...
Two Iowa Democratic candidates pushing progressive policies in high-profile 2018 races got a boost today from the National Nurses United union. The labor group that backed Bernie Sanders in a very visible way during the 2016 primary interviewed several candidates for...
Iowa public employee unions voted overwhelmingly in favor to maintain their existence this week, despite Iowa Republican politicians' best efforts to destroy them. Earlier this year, legislative Republicans and then-Governor Terry Branstad passed a wide-ranging...
When the ballots were being counted to determine whether or not University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics healthcare workers would unionize, Cathy Glasson – the person who had led the effort for months – wasn’t in the room. Glasson was instead working a 12-hour shift in...
When State Senator Nate Boulton received the endorsement of Steelworkers Local 310 at their union hall earlier this year, he was in a familiar place. Boulton and his family travelled from their home in Columbus Junction to the Des Moines labor headquarters for...
The 2017 Republican-controlled legislature’s destruction of the bargaining rights of public union workers should leave no question about the motives of the Iowa Republican Party. Their 2016 Iowa Republican Platform specifically calls for the “elimination of all public...
Nate Boulton’s lead role in defending workers’ rights and wages at the Statehouse this session has not been forgotten: ten Iowa labor unions endorsed the Des Moines state senator this morning. Speaking at the Steelworkers Local 310 hall with over 50 union members in...
Iowans might assume the Iowa Republican controlled Legislature’s anti-labor collective bargaining bill resulted from a massive demand from their Iowa constituents. That assumption would be wrong and a bit naïve. The author of this shameful anti-labor bill and various...
President Trump campaigned on a theme of bringing back good paying jobs. He promised he would be the "greatest job producer God has ever created." Both Trump and Iowa Republicans' election successes resulted in part by convincing traditional Democratic labor voters to...
The AFL-CIO officially gave an endorsement nod to U.S. Senate candidate Patty Judge this week at their state convention in Altoona. That followed AFSCME’s formal backing last week. It’s a notable change in labor’s disposition to the former Lt. Governor, and a sign of...
The Iowa House found itself in a good old-fashioned Mexican standoff last night. Democrats loaded up their six-shooters with Equal Pay amendments. Republicans readied themselves with bullets aimed at labor organizing rights. Some brief, tense words were exchanged,...
Muscatine construction worker and victim of crime jailed: Jesús Hernández was shot when two people tried stealing his car. After a hospital stay, he went to pick up his car—and immigration enforcement officials detained him for being undocumented. Congress created...
(This story first appeared in the Iowa Worker's Almanac, and is a subscriber exclusive.) You probably already know Iowa has a problem getting qualified health care workers: We're 44th in the nation for physicians to patients, or 30% worse than the national average;...
Cancer in Iowa isn’t just about treatment—it’s about surviving the system, asking why it happened, and living with the aftermath. Five Iowans share their stories.
Fox guarding the henhouse: A former Tyson executive now oversees the safety of the US meat supply. (Sentient Media) Designed to discriminate: By gutting the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Trump is making it easier for federal contractors to...
The Iowa DOGE task force wants to cut IPERS for new hires, the public employee retirement system that thousands of teachers, corrections officers, and more rely on to get them through their golden years. This does not sit well with those workers, the unions they're...
A taskforce appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds recommended eliminating the state pension system for new employees and replacing it with a 401(k)-style plan. Iowa DOGE's proposal has sparked fierce, bipartisan opposition. Governor Kim Reynolds promised in 2018 she’d...
Pesticides are part of why Iowa’s fields are so productive. Research into pesticide exposure also connects them to our cancer crisis.
Whether you’re a first-time or recurring user of buy now, pay later plans, here are some expert recommendations to use buy now, pay later loans responsibly.
Iowa’s rising cancer rate has many causes. Our worsening water quality is one.
Iowa Working Class News You Can Use: Iowa’s farmers are left with rising bills and few guarantees as President Donald Trump's second trade war brews—creating a storm of financial pressure in the heart of the state’s farm economy that could ripple beyond 2025,...
Immigration arrests and deportations in Iowa have tripled. You think Iowa is hollowing out now? It’s about to get worse.
There are many affordable places to live in Iowa, a state that consistently ranks high for low cost of living. Here are eight of the best options to consider.
This week's working news you can use: Job Corps cuts hurt Iowa's employment: Despite its success, Ottumwa Job Corps—which offers free education and vocational training for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24—is among the 99 programs the Trump Administration is shutting down....
What happens when a 940-page law tries to reshape America? Let's see how it would play out in the Hawkeye State. Iowa’s Republican Congressional delegation is primed to provide a stamp of approval to President Donald Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill," despite the...
Here’s a quick look at the week’s top news affecting Iowa workers and the workplace:
The Iowa Legislature passed a bill this session banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and trainings by "public entities," including Iowa's public universities. And they spelled out exactly what they don't want us to learn about: "unconscious or implicit...
Less than a year after the town’s major Tyson plant closure, meatpacking giant JBS announced the construction of a new Perry facility employing 500 workers. On the latest episode of Cornhole Champions, the team talked about the impact the Tyson closure had on the community, what the JBS facility could do for the local economy, and the net win of potential union representation.
Check out the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVzqTcfZrH4&t=1s
Brazilian meat giant JBS is bringing 500 jobs back to Perry, Iowa, right where Tyson Foods pulled out. The $135 million sausage production facility offers hope to a community still reeling from the loss of 1,300 Tyson jobs, but questions remain about whether this corporate giant can deliver long-term stability.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith and Amy Rivers examine whether JBS represents genuine economic salvation or just another round of corporate musical chairs. We explore the union victory that restored pensions for JBS workers – something unheard of in meatpacking since the 1980s – and discuss the infrastructure advantages that made Perry attractive to JBS after Tyson’s departure.
Also in this episode, an overview of Iowa’s 2026 Senate race. The dangers of corporate pride. And a one-on-one with US Senate candidate Zach Wahls.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
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*SHOW RUNDOWN*
00:00 – JBS Announces $135 Million Sausage Plant in Perry, Iowa
00:52 – Economic Impact Analysis – 500 New Jobs vs 1,300 Lost Tyson Positions
01:58 – Long-term Sustainability Concerns with JBS Employment History
02:44 – Union Victory – UFCW Wins Back Pensions at JBS Facilities
03:13 – Construction Timeline – Fall 2024 Start, Late 2026 Production
03:30 – Perry Shooting Timeline Context
03:35 – Episode Break
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