As Iowa lawmakers kick off the 2023 session today, advocates for Iowa’s working people worry majority Republicans will continue to pass more legislation that will hurt working families.
“I just hope there aren’t any more economic attacks,” said Felicia Hilton, political director of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. “It’s really impacting families.”
But advocates are also hoping Republicans—who hold power in the governor’s office and Iowa House as well as a supermajority in the Senate—will pass at least some bills helpful to workers. That includes some bills that either passed out of committee or actually got a vote in one of the chambers last year, but didn’t quite make it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
“Generally, things are a stepping stone up there,” said Christopher Smith, the state legislative director for the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART-TD) union.
Here’s what to watch for this session:
When a Dubuque resident was laid off from a pizza place four years ago, she found a job at another a couple of months later—and was immediately sued by the first place for $10,000 for violating a noncompete agreement.
That agreement said she wasn’t allowed to work at another pizza restaurant within 50 miles for 18 months after the layoff, according to a video shared by Dubuque Democratic Socialists.
It’s a perfect example of why such agreements—often...
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