Workers leave the Tyson s Fresh Meat plant on Nov. 19 in Waterloo. Brandon Pollock, Lee Newspapers
WATERLOO â Iowa leaders are drafting legislation to enhance worker protections at the Tyson plant in Waterloo and elsewhere, they announced Monday at a virtual forum.
The legislation would give protection to whistleblowers, establish more collective bargaining rights, implement premium pay, sick leave and medical leave and shield workers from company cuts, said state Rep. Ras Smith. He said the legislation would require the state s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop mandatory standards for workplaces during COVID-19. Here, now, we have to retract immunity for Tyson, Smith said. They ve shown that malice and negligence is pervasive in the culture. No longer can the state of Iowa give cover to bad actors. No longer can the state of Iowa protect bad actors at the cost of Iowa workers lives.
By Jason Taylor
Jan 22, 2021
IOWA - Labor unions for state workers want a face mask order at the Iowa State Capitol.
Six unions have filed a federal complaint with OSHA, claiming the lack of a mask mandate threatens the safety of everyone who enters the building.
The unions also sent a letter to Republican leaders in the House and Senate about their concerns over the lack of COVID-19 safety precautions.
They say the leaders don t care about the safety and wellbeing of people coming into the capitol.
“The House and Senate leadership has the authority to make a mask mandate, yet they have so far chosen not to,” said Charlie Wishman, President of the Iowa Federation of Labor. “It appears they do not really care about the safety and wellbeing of everyone that comes into the capitol. This is a public health concern.”
SPM News 012221 Noon
Governor Kim Reynolds announced yesterday, Iowans 65 and older will soon be eligible for the next wave of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Governor Reynolds talked about the second tier of COVID vaccination in Iowa, which will eventually immunize more than 530,000 people. Iowans 75 and over, health care workers and staff, and residents at long-term care facilities were given the first batch,
The second tier rollout begins February 1. It will offer vaccines to essential frontline workers, first responders, and teachers. Reynolds says the state cannot open up vaccines to all Iowans just yet.
Iowa is currently receiving 19,500 doses per week. However, those numbers could change with the new administration in place.
January 22, 2021
Des Moines, Iowa Democrats say COVID protocols in the legislature are falling short and endangering the health of employees and the general public.
Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines, says online testimony should be allowed at public hearings.
(as said) “They don’t feel like it’s safe to come here I mean we don’t have a mask mandate,” Meyer says, “but they still want to participate in this great democracy that we have.”
House Republicans have voted to stick with their plan to livestream hearings, but only let people speak if they’re at the Capitol. The Iowa Federation of Labor and the Teamsters filed a complaint with OSHA Thursday, accusing GOP leaders of showing “reckless disregard” for the health of people inside the Iowa Capitol. Representative Meyer says a mask mandate is common sense and he pounded on his desk as he spoke Thursday during House debate.