The president of Iowa’s largest union for public employees asked Democrats attending their party’s national convention to support changes in state labor laws. Danny Homan of Sioux City represents the nearly 40,000 Iowa members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME).
"Public sector employees need the same rights that our brothers and sisters have in the private sector. They ought to be able to bargain for anything they want to bargain for at the table, " Homan said. "Bargaining is bargaining."
Homan’s remarks in favor of expanding the items which may be part of labor/management bargaining sessions over wages for government employees came before Governor Chet Culver, a fellow Democrat, arrived at the meeting. Culver, as you may recall, vetoed a bill that would have broadened the bargaining rights of public sector employees in Iowa.
Homan also pressed for legislation that would require non-union members to pay a fee for union representation in wage negotiations and other on-the-job benefits. "We need those two things passed in Iowa and every Democrat, whether you’re a school board member, a city council mayor, a mayor, a house member or a senate member in Iowa — as Senator Kibbie said at a meeting I was at: ‘Knock off the crap. Let’s get it done and let’s start supporting organized labor,’" Homan said.
Notably missing from Homan’s list of public officials was governor. Governor Culver arrived at the Denver meeting site about half an hour after Homan finished speaking. You can listen to all of Homan’s remarks by clicking on the audio link below.