Hundreds rally at Iowa Capitol over labor laws
Over 500 activists gathered at the Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines to show solidarity with the protesters in Wisconsin and rally against legislation that would limit state workers' bargaining rights.
"This is not an assault on public workers," Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, told The Associated Press. "This is an assault on the middle class." "There are people who think that you have all gathered here today just because of something that’s happening in Wisconsin," Congressman Bruce Braley said at the protest. "But you know and I know that the real reason we’re here today is because the middle class and working women are under attack and it’s our job to stand up and set the record straight."
Legislation introduced to the Iowa House would prevent public workers from negotiating health benefits with their employers and also decrease their pensions. Republican Rep. Lance Horbach, who heads the House Labor Committee, said the legislation only limits a modest portion of public workers bargaining rights and that "90 percent" still remains.