Iowa Governor: What the Candidates are Saying and their Records

JUNE 9, 2010 - RADIO IOWA - BRANSTAD
GOP Nominee Terry Branstad told business leaders on June 9, 2010 that after years of fighting pro-labor measures backed by Governor Culver, they would see a change if he wins. “All of those ideas, along with expanding public employee collective bargaining, are dead when I become governor,” Branstad said.... Listen to him bash Doctor's Choice, Fair Share, Collective Bargaining and more, here.

July 1, 2010 - Fort Dodge Messenger - VAUDT
According to [Republican State Auditor] Vaudt, the state has about 20,000 employees. He said that figure doesn't include the personnel of Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.
'We're going to have to get a good handle on compensation,' he said. 'If we don't bring our people costs under control, we're not going to get our government costs under control.'

The Branstad Record:

• Vetoed $4.9 million from the Human Services Budget (Des Moines Register, 2/13/1988)
• Vetoed a bill that would have prevented Iowa work release prison inmates from working as strikebreakers.  (Des Moines Register, 5/9/1989)
• Opposed requiring businesses with state contracts to pay prevailing wage (Des Moines Register, 3/3/1987)
• Enlisted the National Right to Work Committee to fight amending Iowa's so-called "Right to Work" law. (Des Moines Register 7/4/1986)
• Stopped Union members from having a voluntary PAC checkoff from their income taxes
• His Chief of Staff, Doug Gross lobbied for a prison privatizer (Corrections Corporation of America), the largest operator of private prisons.  (lobbyist filings 1999-2001), and also represented non-union contractors in a suit to halt Polk County from negotiating Project Labor Agreements.
• Branstad ignored binding arbitration with employees of the state's labor unions and lost later appeals in the state court system (AFSCME Iowa Council 61 et al., v. Branstad) in 1991.

The Culver Record:

• Culver vetoed a bill expanding Collective Bargaining for Public Employees.
• Culver championed sweeping state government reorganization legislation, which included many of AFSCME's priorities such as strengthening "Span of Control" as well as provisions that prevented "bump-back" by managers.
• Culver signed State Early Retirement Incentive Program that will save jobs in the near and long term, and allow state employees to retire with dignity.
• Banned Department of Corrections from contracting with for-profit prisons.
• Extension of shared work program, which assists workers who have had their hours reduced.
• Expanded the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
• Expanded organizing rights for rural water district employees.
• Signed the Unemployment Modernization Act, which expanded unemployment benefits to some part-time workers and extends coverage for workers in certain training programs.
• Increased penalties for child labor violations.
• Signed the Peace Officers' "Bill of Rights," which gives law enforcement and corrections personnel a guaranteed set of rights they can exercise in order to defend themselves against false accusations.