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Sisters and Brothers,

Imagine a sailor standing on the deck of her sail boat thinking about the amazing breeze at her back. So, does she send out a clever, factful text or Facebook post or does she do the hard work to raise the sails and take advantage of the circumstances?

There you have the current political climate.  Many are predicting a good election this year for candidates who support working families. Crystal balls aside, we seem to have a lot of energy, many candidates and motivated people who what to see change, want to have an economy that works for all of us and not just some of us.

The question is: Will you be satisfied with Facebooks posts that require a few key strokes or are you willing to work to take advantage of the circumstances that look favorable?

The Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO has worked hard to put together a good program, provide good information and we are waiting, albeit not too patiently, for those committed activists to step up and do the hard work necessary to be successful.

We have seen the consequences of a bad election first hand. Workers rights attacked, rights for injured workers set back decades, voter suppression efforts, unemployment bills that make a mockery of the system are just a few of the laws that have been upended in the current Iowa legislative sessions. The tax bills that take money from insufficient revenues are going to put our budget in jeopardy for possibly decades.

So, what are you going to do, pound a few keys or pound a few doors? If you want to tell your kids and grandkids that you were on the frontlines to take back Iowa from the far right, come and help us raise the sails and chart a new course for Iowa.

Ken Sagar, President Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO

Click to connect to the Iowa Federation of Labor

REYNOLDS SHOWS PRIORITIES WITH LATEST ROUND OF MID-YEAR BUDGET CUTS

DES MOINES – AFSCME Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement following Governor Reynolds’ signing of yet another round of mid-year budget cuts:

“This morning, Kim Reynolds signed SF2117 into law, which cut an additional $35 million from the budget that was approved by the legislature last year. There are only three months left to absorb these massive cuts in state government, which is not only irresponsible, but also dangerous.

“This is the second year in a row that the Reynolds administration has had to pull money from the current budget just to pay the bills. Why? Because tax breaks for her donors and big businesses are more important than the hardworking employees who make our state happen. This budget nightmare was signed into law all while she is trying to push over $1 billion in tax cuts through the legislature. This will obliterate our state’s finances just like it did to Kansas.

“The sad thing is, everyday Iowans are going to pay the price for her irresponsibility. When we cut our regents by millions, students and their families see their debt increase. When we cut corrections by millions, safety in our prisons deteriorates. When we cut DHS by millions, kids in our foster care system suffer. Iowans should brace themselves for the impact of these cuts. Iowans deserve more competent leadership and they should demand it at the polls in November.”

Department — SF 2117 Cuts
-Department of Human Services $4.3 million
-Board of Regents $10.9 million
-Community Colleges $500 thousand
-Judicial Branch $1.6 million
-Department of Corrections $3.4 million
-Department of Education $784 thousand
-Department of Public Health $662 thousand
-Iowa Workforce Development $167 thousand
-State Public Defender $236 thousand
-Iowa Public Television $68 thousand
-Department of Inspections and Appeals $102 thousand
-Department of Revenue $528 thousand
-Department of Agriculture $188 thousand
-Department of Justice $378 thousand
-Department on Aging $110 thousand
-Department of Public Safety $200 thousand
-Department of Natural Resources $123 thousand
-Economic Development $158 thousand
-Iowa Skilled Worker & Job Creation Fund $10 million