Iowas teachers, firefighters, corrections officers, police officers, and public employees deserve our respect — and they deserve the right to organize and demand fair working conditions and wages.
But Governor Branstad, Lt. Governor Reynolds, and Republicans in the legislature launched an unprecedented assault on workers and working families, proudly calling the 2017 legislative session “historic” as they rolled back rights that were put in place more than four decades ago.
We can only restore the rights of workers — and protect the health and safety of our workforce — if we take bold action to reverse these attacks. If Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds are unwilling to stand up for working families and I am fortunate enough to be elected Iowas next governor, I will restore collective bargaining rights by issuing an executive order on my first day in office.
While the Branstad-Reynolds administration fights for the largest corporations in our largest cities, I am committed to growing wages for families across the entire state, particularly in smaller communities like my hometown of Charles City. That can only happen if we empower working families and restore their voice in the workplace.
Iowans who work hard and play by the rules deserve that basic level of fairness.