New Law Aims to Make It Easier to Vote Out Unwanted Unions
For more than half a century, Iowa statutes have authorized and promoted monopolistic unionism with regard to virtually all kinds of front-line state and local government employees.
Independent-minded public servants, as well as overburdened taxpayers and other people who depend on vital public services, have suffered as a consequence.
In 2017, legislators in Des Moines finally heeded the pleas of grassroots Right to Work supporters across Iowa and passed a measure (H.F.291) curtailing the scope of most government union bosses’ monopoly-bargaining privileges.
Among other things, H.F.291 required a recertification election at the expiration of each union contract so that Big Labor bosses would no longer be able to wield monopoly power to speak for all the front line employees in a public agency where most employees didn’t even support unionization.
National Right to Work Committee Vice President John Kalb commented:
“No law should authorize union bosses to speak for members and nonmembers alike. But requiring monopolistic unions at least to prove that they are backed by a majority of employees limits the harm.”
Union-Friendly Local Politicians Have Helped Big Labor Circumvent Law
“Unfortunately,” Mr. Kalb continued, “Iowa’s government union bosses largely refused to accept this commonsense requirement. Fearing that the workers they claim to ‘represent’ would throw them out if given the opportunity in a secret-ballot election, union officials frequently didn’t comply with the law.
“After all, as many third-world dictators have discovered, the best way not to lose an election is never to let one happen!”
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing found that, from 2020-2023, nearly half of the elections that were required to take place under H.F.291 simply did not occur.
“Union-friendly public employers, working hand-in-glove with Big Labor, routinely failed to submit lists of their employees so that the elections could not continue,” explained Mr. Kalb.
“For years now, Big Labor and its allies have gloated about the fact that monopolistic government unionism hasn’t declined under H.F.291, while conveniently ignoring the fact that its recertification provision was being systematically flouted.”
New Amendment Empowers Citizens to Force Politicians to Follow the Law
This year, thanks in part to lobbying by the National Right to Work Committee and its army of committed grassroots activists, the Iowa legislature finally decided to close the loophole in H.F.291.
Legislation (S.F.472) requiring public employers to submit lists of their employees for recertification elections, and empowering citizens to use the courts to compel them if they still refuse, was sent to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk on May 5.
Gov. Reynolds signed the bill into law on May 19, ensuring that public employees will at least be entitled to vote periodically in secret-ballot elections regarding whether they wish to continue to be subject to union monopoly bargaining.
Mr. Kalb cautioned: “To be clear, H.F.291 and S.F.472 stop far short of the ideal, which is to ban the inherently corrupt system of public-sector union monopoly bargaining entirely.
“In fact, the best means to level the playing field for taxpayers and independent-minded public employees is to bar all forms of government-sector bargaining.”
Right to Work Supporters Continue Pressing For Repeal of Union Monopoly Bargaining
Mr. Kalb noted: “Of course, such a ban would leave government union chiefs free to advocate on behalf of their members with public officials.
“Iowa’s 2017 and 2026 reforms, modest as they are, are a step in the right direction, towards giving public employees freedom to make decisions for themselves about their representation and their terms of employment.
“Union bosses may well choose to listen at least a little more to their rank- and-file now that those workers will have regular opportunities to express their discontent with their votes.
“Moreover, S.F.472 is an overdue stand on the part of state lawmakers to stop corrupt union officials and their cronies in government agencies from flagrantly ignoring state law to secure their own power.
“The National Right to Work Committee and its 2.8 million members and supporters will continue pressing for full monopoly-bargaining repeal in states like Iowa. We look forward to the day that the weed of public-sector bargaining is rooted out entirely.”
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