Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • Wahls: Labor movement is a pillar of America

    Cedar Rapids Gazette, 9/6/2021
    By Sen. Zach Wahls

    Since the New Deal, the Democratic Party has been defined by our dual commitment to civil rights and workers’ rights, the twin pillars of democratic politics in America. This Labor Day, workers across America will commemorate and celebrate the struggles, sacrifice and advancement of the labor movement, whose victories benefit every American. In addition, this Labor Day is a reminder to the Iowa Democratic Party about the importance of returning to our roots of prairie populism.

    While much of the focus on Labor Day rests on the rights secured by the labor movement, another way of looking at this progress is through the lens of responsibility. Over time, the labor movement has changed how our country considers the responsibilities of employers and governments. And the labor movement has taught us about the responsibilities we owe to each other and to the greater good.

    Our nation’s 18-month battle with COVID-19 has underscored the importance of strong workplace protections for every Iowan and continues to remind us that we all truly are in this together. Americans from all walks of life have learned and been reminded of the powerful lesson from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that we are all “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

    Dr. King’s words foreshadowed a lesson from Sen. Tom Harkin, and his late colleague Sen. Paul Wellstone, that, “We all do better, when we all do better.” I couldn’t agree with these sentiments more, and these values are why I am so proud to be a leader in the Democratic Party. These are Labor values, and these are Iowa values.

    The Republican Party has recently started claiming they are the party of working people. But let’s look at the facts; when Republicans took power in Iowa, they wasted no time passing an agenda meant to hollow out the middle class. Gov. Kim Reynolds and legislative Republicans passed laws to gut collective bargaining rights, slash wages for union and non-union workers alike, and even to increase property taxes on middle class families.

    That’s not a party of working people. That’s not a party that treats Iowans fairly or rewards hard work. That’s not a party that believes in the Scripture that tells us “from those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

    The difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is simple: the Democratic Party believes in fairness for every Iowan. We believe in improving the quality of life for all people, not just those at the top. We believe that we all do better when we all have great public schools, have affordable health care, and are members of strong and caring communities.

    The Republican Party believes you’re on your own. Period.

    The Republican mentality works for those at the top, but not for the people whose blood, sweat, and tears built this country and whose sacrifices ensured the rights and freedoms we will all be celebrating on Labor Day.

    The Democratic Party is at a unique moment in our party’s history. The lessons of COVID-19 are universal and speak to fundamental, democratic truths: no man is an island, we are all in this together, and we all do better when we all do better. These are guiding principles of the labor movement that built the American Middle Class. These are the roots of the Iowa Democratic Party’s progressive prairie populism. And they are the most promising path for our future.

    I hope you and your family have a safe, responsible, and healthy Labor Day.

    Zach Wahls of Coralville is the Democratic leader in the Iowa Senate.

    https://www.thegazette.com/opinion/wahls-labor-movement-is-a-pillar-of-america/

  • Labor Day: Hard-working Iowans deserve better

    On Labor Day, let’s renew our commitment to Iowa’s working families.

    When you put in a 40-hour work week, your contributions should be valued enough that you can make ends meet and provide opportunities for your family.

    Hard-working Iowans have faced a lot of challenges in recent years—wages that don’t keep up with inflation, a lack of child care options and a pandemic that has upended everything. Statehouse Republicans have added to worker woes with attacks on bargaining rights, workplace health and safety protections, and resources for out-of-work Iowans.

    The result? Workforce challenges, a child care shortage, a maternal health crisis, small businesses that still have not recovered from the pandemic and more.

    Iowans continue to fight for an economy that works for all of us. This year, you succeeded by fending off multiple proposals to reduce help for Iowans who lost jobs through no fault of their own during a global pandemic and record-high unemployment.

    Working Iowans, the engine of our economy, said, “We deserve better,” and defeated this mean-spirited legislation.

    Senate Democrats’ Build Back Better plan this year made a variety of proposals to help all Iowans get back on their feet, return life to normal as quickly and safely as possible, and rebuild our economy. The plan included an Essential Workers Bill of Rights and would have positioned Iowa for long-term economic growth. Unfortunately, Governor Reynolds and Republicans in the legislature chose not to work with us on these common-sense proposals.

    We still have a lot to do to ensure a fair shake for Iowans who punch the clock every day.

  • Labor Day: Iowa workers are our best asset

    Labor Day is about recognizing the contributions workers make to their communities and our state. It really can’t be overstated: Workers are the backbone of our way of life.

    A thriving workforce is a sign of a strong economy and a successful society. When workers aren’t valued, we’re headed in the wrong direction—and that’s exactly what many Iowans are facing.

    In recent years, decades of advances toward fair wages, working conditions and benefits have been lost to policies that are upending the principles that made our country strong, along with opportunities for Iowans to achieve the American dream.

    In spite of record low unemployment, our economy has slowed to a crawl. Working families have been pushed aside in favor of corporations and profits.

    Most GOP legislators and the Governor gutted the state’s collective bargaining law that ensured employees and public employers collaborated on mutually agreeable solutions in the workplace; slashed protections for Iowans injured on the job; put pensions in danger; and weakened wage and “Buy American” requirements.

    The nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project sums it up this way: “Unfortunately, policy choices have put us on a road that prioritizes corporate profits over worker wages and corporate tax cuts over the public investments that allow for a strong, sustainable economy.”

    The result is a growing inequality, with the rich getting richer. Meanwhile, many Iowans work multiple jobs and still struggle to make ends meet. That’s not right.

    As we celebrate Labor Day, Senate Democrats remain committed to fighting for working Iowans, restoring and protecting workplace rights, and ensuring Iowa employees and employers have a fair shot at getting ahead.