Iowans want a strong voice in their workplace

Iowans are making their voices heard after the 2017 legislative session focused on driving down wages, taking away rights and opportunities, cutting healthcare and degrading our quality of life.

Last month, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) held recertification elections for 13 bargaining units. In all of those elections, workers overwhelmingly voted to keep their union representation, including the Olin Education Association and the Northeast Iowa Community College Higher Education Association. Out of 1,291 voters, 1,101 voted in favor of their union.

“Employees, regardless of their union membership, understood what was at stake and voted to retain the rights they are entitled to receive,” said Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association, noting that Iowans “voted in the best interest of their profession, their students, and their communities.”

Another 468 bargaining units — mostly local governments and schools — will have recertification elections between Oct. 10-24. The elections will be conducted electronically and via telephone for the first time.

Iowa’s collective bargaining law worked well for more than 40 years. Originally passed under Republican Governor Robert Ray, it ensured Iowans, employees and public employers collaborated on mutually agreeable solutions in the workplace.

This year, however, HF 291 made major changes to what may be negotiated and how public unions are certified and decertified. It also added a new requirement that public unions “recertify” every few years.

Union recertification is a vote to determine if employees want to continue to be represented by their current union. A bargaining unit must recertify prior to their contract expiring, or it becomes defunct.

Iowa’s public-sector unions must win support from a majority of employees in a bargaining unit. Workers who don’t vote are counted as a “no.” All employees in a bargaining unit are considered voters, even if they aren’t dues-paying members of the union.