Deere & Company announced on Saturday it had reached a tentative agreement with the UAW that may end the strike that began on Oct. 14. UAW members will vote on the new proposed six-year contract on Tuesday. Ninety percent of the UAW members voted to reject Deere’s previous proposal, which led to more than 10,000 […]
Labor
Posted inCommunity/News
Judge rejects Deere & Company’s request for an injunction against striking workers in Ankeny
John Deere & Company’s attempt to disrupt picketing at its plant and a warehouse in Ankeny failed on Tuesday, as a Polk County judge rejected its petition for a temporary injunction against striking members of the UAW. “Deere has failed to show that it will suffer substantial injury or damages will result unless an injunction […]
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John Deere strike: Tom Vilsack meets striking workers, judge issues injunction against picketers and Iowa Republicans weigh in
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited a United Auto Workers (UAW) picket line outside the John Deere plant in Ankeny on Wednesday. The former Iowa governor showed support for the workers as the strike, which began at midnight on Oct. 14, finished its first week. “For too long in this country, we haven’t paid […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Thousands of John Deere workers strike, and Iowa Republican leaders ‘don’t have anything to say about it’
More than 6,000 John Deere workers in Iowa went on strike at midnight on Thursday, in the biggest labor action the state has seen in more than three decades. Contract negotiations between the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) — which represents Deere workers at its 14 plants across Iowa, Illinois, […]
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Iowa Board of Regents receives almost meaningless penalty for violating the law in contract talks with UI grad student union
The Board of Regents acted in bad faith and broke the law during contract negotiations with the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS) in 2016 and 2017, the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) ruled last week. As punishment for its dishonest and illegal behavior, the Board of Regents will be required to post public notices at the University of Iowa
Posted inCommunity/News
Top five 2018: Workers in Iowa continue to fight the good fight
The last few years have been challenging for Iowa workers, and 2018 is no exception. In the face of these challenges, Iowans are fighting back to reclaim their rights and their state.
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The Board of Regents offers UI grad student workers a new contract with no benefits
The hallway outside Room 351 of the Iowa Memorial Union was crowded but quiet on Wednesday morning. Members of COGS, the union representing University of Iowa graduate students, were staging a grade-in — a protest that allowed them to do their work as teaching assistants, while demonstrating their resolve prior to the start of a […]
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Steve King successfully pushed to erase protection for LGBTQ Americans in NAFTA revision
The revision of NAFTA signed by President Donald Trump, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Buenos Aires on Friday contains a ground-breaking provision regarding LGBTQ rights. But thanks in part to pressure from Rep. Steve King and 39 other rightwing members of Congress, that provision won’t apply […]
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Reynolds and Hubbell discuss Mollie Tibbetts, labor rights, Me Too and climate change in third debate
The third debate between Gov. Kim Reynolds and Democrat Fred Hubbell was held at a time guaranteed to limit viewership, 8 a.m. on Sunday. That was unfortunate, because it was the most informative of the three debates. During the first two, the questions…
Posted inCommunity/News
UI grad students are fighting to keep their union representation
Buried among the other elections this fall, the COGS recertification election is unique, because it’s an election in which many of the eligible voters have no idea they can vote. That’s not a failure of the system, it’s how the Iowa legislature intended the system to work.
Posted inCommunity/News
Faculty Forward Iowa and UI agree to new benefits for non-tenure track faculty
Non-tenure track faculty at the University of Iowa will finally receive some of the same standard benefits as their tenured colleagues do, thanks to an agreement between the university administration and Faculty Forward Iowa (FFI). “The new policy, which starts on Sept. 1, gives us some much-needed benefits,” said Faye Bartram, visiting assistant professor of […]
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UI President Bruce Harreld finally meets with non-tenure track faculty protesting working conditions
A basement room in a police station isn’t typically the setting for negotiations between equals, but that’s the location University of Iowa officials chose for their Wednesday morning meeting with members of Faculty Forward Iowa (FFI). FFI, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, represents members of UI’s non-tenure track faculty seeking better working […]
