Iowa union bargaining bill worries school boards
A controversial labor-backed bill will soon head to the governor's desk and union officials believe that's a sign that Gov. Chet Culver may sign it into law. Culver, however, has not yet decided what he intends to do, Democratic leaders said.
Culver sent a message to reporters saying that after more than 30 meetings with managers, union members, lawmakers and the public, he realized there's no way to rewrite the bill in a way that would satisfy all parties. Last month, Culver said there was a strong possibility he would veto the bill unless there was a real effort to listen to the concerns of stakeholders and to try to reach common ground. The proposal, House File 2645, would allow public employee unions the ability to negotiate a wider range of issues at the collective bargaining table.
Opponents say the proposal would take key decisions out of the hands of elected officials and could result in higher taxes. That's because if public employers and employees can't reach an agreement on the broader array of topics, an arbitrator would make the final decision. Advocates say the new union powers would foster a stronger work environment, and increase safety and productivity. They said less than 1 percent of negotiations end in arbitration. Brad Hudson, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), a teachers' union, said he predicts Culver will sign the bill into law. "If after five weeks, if he hasn't raised any concerns, it makes me think he's supportive of it," said Hudson. “The governor has two options: to stand with Iowans and veto or to side with big union bosses and sign the bill," said House Republican Leader Christopher Rants, from Sioux City. "I'm hopeful he will listen to the outcry of Iowans." The bill tilts the playing field in favor of big labor and ends provisions that provide a balance between management and labor, Rants said. "It's a bad bill that will eventually raise Iowans' property taxes and make it extremely hard to get rid of bad teachers," said Senate Republican Leader Ron Wieck of Sioux City. "What should truly concern Iowans is that this bill is so bad that the Democrat governor is contemplating a veto."
Advocates say the process for deciding whether a teacher should be fired would be more streamlined and more fair. A neutral adjudicator would decide whether a teacher should be fired rather than a school board, and that decision would be final. Groups such as the Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa State Association of Counties registered in opposition to House File 2645. Several unions registered in favor, as did the American Civil Liberties Union. Bill Peterson, executive director of the counties association, predicts arbitrators will give union employees slightly better deals each time they negotiate. The Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) opposes the bill because neither school officials nor teachers could appeal a teacher firing in court, and because there would no longer be a probationary period for new teachers.
Source: Des Moines Register, 4/25/08, By Jennifer Jacobs & Jason Clayworth
[Editor’s Note: Below are a statement from IASB detailing its objections to the measure and the legal implications, as well as a statement from the ISEA supporting the measure’s expansion of the scope of collective bargaining.]
ISBA statement on HF 2645
ISEA statement on HF 2645