The Iowa
State of
Eighty-Second General Assembly
STATEHOUSE
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
For Immediate Release Contact: Senator
Monday March 24, 2008 (712) 251-4586
34 Year-Old Collective Bargaining Law
Changed
Property taxes will rise
DES MOINES – After Senate Republicans spent the night last week at the Capitol in support against House File 2645 or Public Employee Collective Bargaining, the bill was debated for six hours on the Senate floor today and passed 27-23.
The bill will strip power away from elected local officials to negotiate with public employee unions. This legislation will mandate what will be negotiated in collective bargaining removing the bargaining from negotiations. City council members and county supervisors would be stripped of their ability to control the level of property tax increases. That ability is forfeited to an unnamed and unelected adjudicator as the balance of labor and management is offset.
“It’s outrageous that anyone would vote for this bill,” stated Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck. “The fact is that this will raise property taxes for the benefit of union desires.”
The 34-year-old bill, which took 13 days to decide upon in 1974, took only six hours to undo. It now travels to Governor Chet Culver to be signed. Earlier today, Governor Culver called for more public hearings on the issues. Senate Democrat Majority in their zeal to pay back a campaign debt, snubbed their own leader.
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