UE members in Iowa brought union issues to the state legislature in their annual Political Action Day on February 11, with more than 30 members participating. Most were members of Local 893, and Local 896’s Political Action Chair Shawn Harmsen also participated.
Local 893 President Becky Dawes welcomed members as they convened in the morning, and summarized the goals of the day. UE Western Region President Carl Rosen gave an update on developments in the region and the national union and encouraged members to become politically active.
Dawes and International Representative Greg Cross then led a discussion on state issues and the upcoming election. The state’s anti-union Governor Terry Branstad (R) is up for reelection this year and will face opposition. To continue to block Republican plans to destroy public sector unions, they said, it is also of critical importance that Democrats retain control of the state senate and retake the state house of representatives.
Local 893 Vice President David Betworth spoke on the importance of getting involved in elections. Members got a report on the status of specific bills of interest to unions from Jim Obradovich, president of the Capital Group, who does some lobbying work for Local 893. He said progress of the union’s legislative goals is unlikely this year, but that the turnout for this year’s event was helpful because persistence is needed in order to eventually make gains.
Following lunch members headed to the capital to lobby their legislators. Groups of members were able to send messages to their representatives and senators, calling them off the floor of the chamber to meet with UE members in the lobby. Members were able to meet with approximately 60 legislators. They gave each lawmaker a one-page summary of the union’s five key issues.
The union’s issues are full funding of all state departments; increased funding for education; opposing attacks on public employee bargaining rights; ending privatization of public services; and safeguarding public employee retirement.
“It was very good,” says David Betworth. “We’ve been doing this every year since about 1990 and I’ve been going to these for 20 years, since Dan Kelley invited me to participate.” The late Dan Kelley was the president who brought the independent Iowa United Professionals into UE as Local 893. “I gave a talk this year on campaigning, get-out-the-vote, door knocking, phone calling and how all that’s done.
Betsworth said he got involved in electoral campaigns because of his experience participating in UE Lobby Days. “After years of talking to Republicans and at the end of the conversation having them say, ‘You know, I can’t support you on that,’ about five years ago it dawned on me that who is up here at the state house matters. If the wrong person is there, you’re wasting your breath. So that got me involved in campaigning for candidates, two cycles ago. We need to get the right people elected, people who are friendly toward unions and the issues we believe in.”
Betsworth has also found his involvement in UE to be a great education on public issues. When the Iowa Democratic caucuses came around two years ago, he says, “I knew I wanted to introduce planks for the platform committee on four things. I wanted to do something on war and peace, collective bargaining, healthcare and Social Security.” To do research and prepare something on those four issues, “I went to the UE website, I went to our policy page,” where he found “more information than I needed” in the resolutions that had been adopted by delegates to the previous UE convention. He urged other members to use the UE website and UE’s policy resolutions as a resource.