For nine years, House District 33 was represented by Dick Taylor, a former IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) member, who announced his retirement in early October, triggering a Special Election to be held Tuesday, November 24. District 33, which typically elects Democrats, includes 11 precincts primarily on the city’s southwest side of Cedar Rapids.

The Iowa Federation of Labor (IFL) has given Representative Dick Taylor a near-perfect lifetime voting record on behalf of working family issues.  It is a loss for the district and for labor, but we wish him and his family the best in his retirement.

To continue Representative Taylor’s excellent work, the IFL has endorsed Kirsten Running-Marquardt.

Running-Marquardt, a native of Cedar Rapids, attended Kirkwood Community College and graduated from the University of Iowa. Running-Marquardt was Director of SEIU’s Iowa for Health Care, leaving that position to become district representative for Congressman David Loebsack. She is a member of National Active and Retired Federal Employees and the daughter of former state Rep. Rich Running.

Despite having a legislature and governor’s mansion under control of Democrats, four key pieces of labor legislation remain unmoved in the Iowa House, something that by electing young, energetic leaders like Marquardt, the Iowa Federation of Labor hopes to change. Those four key policies are: Fair Share, Choice of Doctor, Prevailing Wage, and Expanding the Scope of Bargaining for Public Workers.
 
Iowa is one of only six states in the country lacking all four of these pro-worker policies that are important to working families. The other five states are Alabama, Arizona, North and South Carolina and Utah. Compared with its bordering states, Iowa is the only state in the Midwes without at least two of the four priorities, let alone none. Three states, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, have all four; even South Dakota and Missouri have two.

Fifteen states have worker-friendly laws on all four issues, and some might surprise you:  Alaska (Sarah Palin’s state?), Connecticut (Land of Lieberman), Delaware (bankers haven), Hawaii (not exactly center of industry), Illinois, Maryland (no surprises here), Massachusetts (former Governor Mit Romney?), Minnesota (Bachman country), Montana(cattle country friendly to labor-wow anything’s possible), New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington (again, no surprises here) and Wisconsin (where the end-of-welfare-as-we-know-it began).
 
Twenty-eight states have free collective bargaining (no so-called right to work). Thirty-one states have employee choice of doctor in workers’ compensation. Twenty-seven states have open scope of bargaining for public sector workers. Thirty-two states have worker-friendly prevailing wage provisions for public works construction.

Factor in low wages (Iowa’s median wage is 77 cents lower than the national average) – which may be a result of anti-worker laws – and it’s no wonder Iowa is having difficulty attracting the workforce it needs to be successful in the 21st century. 

The Iowa Federation of Labor has opened an office at the IBEW Local 405 Hall to facilitate Kirsten’s victory. Volunteers are needed to help.
    
For more information on the Iowa House District 33 race, or if you want to volunteer for get-out-the-vote efforts happening November 20-23, contact Ben Murry, WIN organizer: 515-205-2595