Yup, Iowa. Echoing the sounds of Madison in February, Iowa Teamsters from Local 238 and their allies marched to their governor's house on Saturday and rallied to demand jobs.
Iowa's governor, Terry Branstad, is another piece of work. The Associated Press reported in February that Branstad,
...is collecting both a $130,000 salary as governor and a state pension worth more than $50,000 per year for earlier service - a legal practice, but one critics say is hypocritical given the governor's plans to slash public spending and his calls for shared sacrifice.Branstad is basically operating from the same playbook as the other Governors Gone Wild. AP reported yesterday,
Branstad pushed hard for lawmakers to overhaul the state's property tax system, scale back preschool programs and freeze the state's overall contribution to schools for two years.KCCI8 reports:
"Branstad wants to dismantle the people's government and replace it with a corporate government. He wants to deregulate corporations, privatize and cut public services. He wants corporate greed to come before the common good," Lori Nelson, of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, said.Here's how the Iowa AFL-CIO described Saturday's rally:
...the most exciting, can’t-miss, direct action street protest the state of Iowa has seen in a long time.
...hundreds of farmers, seniors, workers, and everyday people from across Iowa will mobilize outside Governor Branstad’smansion for a massive "People's March on TerraceHill" to hold Governor Branstad accountable and to fight back against his big-moneyed corporate agenda.The news media, of course, reported "dozens" of protesters showed up, but it looks like way more than that to us. Plus ca change...
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, AFSCME Council 61, SEIULocal 199, the South Central IowaFederation of Labor, Teamsters Local 238, the CedarRapids/Iowa City Building and Construction Trades Council, UE Local 893, Iowa Citizen ActionNetwork, Iowans for Strong Communities and the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO have all endorsed the call for this unprecedented rally and march for economic and environmental justice.The news media, of course, reports "dozens" protested; it looked like way more than that to us.
