Iowa House approves collective bargaining changes

DES MOINES - The Iowa House passed a controversial collective bargaining reform bill on a party-line 56-39 vote just before 12:30 p.m. today.

The bill makes several significant changes to the state's collective bargaining law, which lays out how state and local governments negotiate with public employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Some of the key provisions in the bill:

• It allows arbitrators to look at public and private salaries when determining wages and benefits in union negotiations.

• It provides a “free agency” provision, which allows a person to negotiate his or her own salary and wages outside of the union even in a union shop.

• It eliminates the requirement that unions and management bargain on how layoffs are carried out.

• It mandates that public employees pay at least $100 a month to their health insurance. This measure was a Republican-backed amendment, approved today, that replaced the original language in the bill that removed health insurance from the negotiating table.

The vote capped off a debate that began at noon Wednesday and led to a couple of late nights and a relatively rare Friday legislative session.

House Democrats who say the bill is an attack on unions and the middle class, said they were prepared to debate the bill as long as possible and piled on 100 amendments to the bill.

But this morning, House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, called for “time certain,” a parliamentary maneuver that ends debate at pre-appointed time.

That meant that there was no debate on any amendment brought up after noon, so Republicans dispatched the remaining Democratic amendments with quick voice votes.

By Mike Wiser/ Lee Des Moines Bureau