Des Moines, IA – In a recent debate with other candidates for United States Senate, former Lt. Governor Patty Judge stated inaccurately that she did not have an opportunity to work with labor organizations in the crafting of legislation that would expand collective bargaining for Iowa’s public employees. These statements are inaccurate and misleading, and Judge should correct her remarks.
“Despite what the former Lt. Governor claims, I personally met with her alongside other labor leaders and their representatives to try and hammer out the differences between all parties. She clearly has trouble recalling this meeting, numerous other meetings, as well as these facts,” said Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
“Even in Governor Culver’s veto message from May 15th, 2008, he states, ‘…the Lt. Governor and I, along with our senior staff members engaged in more than thirty meeting with individuals representing labor and management and elected officials from all public sectors,’” said Danny Homan, president of AFSCME Iowa Council 61. “Patty Judge is not telling the truth about labor’s engagement with them during this process.”
“In my time as President of the Senate, I worked with the Governor and Lt. Governor on many issues, including collective bargaining. Senate leaders like myself held dozens of meetings to try and iron out differences, so to say no one talked to Lt. Governor Judge about this legislation is incorrect,” said former Senate President Jack Kibbie.
This Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 61 have endorsed state Senator Rob Hogg for United States Senate this election cycle, however the claims that were made by the former Lt. Governor were not accurate.
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(submitted by Lance Coles, Communications Director, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO)
