DES MOINES – Iowa Democratic Party Chair, Derek Eadon, issued the following statement today in response to the introduction of HSB84, the bill that strips Iowa workers of the right to negotiate their wages & benefits with the State:

“This bill is an overreach of power. Period. The new big brother-style Republican government in Iowa has decided that their priority is not creating jobs, but is instead putting more people under the thumb of government bureaucracy. First it was women, with the bill to defund Planned Parenthood. Then it was students with the underfunded public school budget. Now it’s working people, and Republicans will certainly pass this bill too. Gov. Branstad or Kim Reynolds will sign the bill. When it becomes law, the result will be that firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses and all public employees will hold a weaker position in terms of ensuring the safety of their workplace, the scope of their benefits, and the equity of their paychecks.

“Everyone knows that wages in Iowa haven’t kept up with the costs of living. Just ask any Iowa family who has had to make sacrifices to afford a house payment, put food on the table, or send their child to school. Too many people are hurting already. HSB84 will drive down wages all across Iowa, it will widen the income gap, and it will hit our rural communities the hardest.”

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