The Tri-City Building & Construction Trades Council is opposing Iowa Senate File 603, saying that the new rules on local construction contracts would hurt vital apprenticeship programs.
In a news release, the bistate council encouraged Iowans to join the council, its leadership and affiliated union locals in urging Gov. Kim Reynolds to reject the senate bill. Tri-City Council issued the release Thursday, March 20 – one day after SF 603 was passed by the Iowa Senate.
The council, based in Rock Island, is a coalition of 23 trade locals spanning a nine-county, bi-state region.
The council’s release described the legislation “as an attack on valuable apprenticeship programs that have been instrumental in building safe, high-quality buildings and roadway projects across the Hawkeye State. As importantly, these programs build successful careers and futures for Iowa workers and their families.”
The organization took exception to an amended section to the Registered Apprenticeship Act. If signed into law by the governor, the council said the change would prevent state agencies and local governments from mandating requirements for apprenticeship training on private construction projects funded with tax increment financing (TIF) dollars.
“Here we go again; politicians are making it harder for Iowans to earn a living,” Brian Atkins, the Tri City Council’s executive director, said in the release. “Apprenticeship programs, a proven pathway to the middle class for generations of hardworking Iowans, are under attack. Politicians in Des Moines, who likely never have swung a hammer or worn a pair of steel-toed boots, have pushed through yet another anti-worker law.”
Union favoritism target
According to an Iowa Capital Dispatch report last week, Republicans say the measure addresses a specific concern with favoring unions in local contracts. But opponents argue it will prevent local entities from taking steps to ensure workforce safety through training requirements.
The bill initially dealt with eliminating the state’s taxable wage credit and changing the definition of ‘taxable wages’ in Iowa Code, the news organization said.
“Let’s be clear: apprenticeship programs do not burden taxpayers. They are funded by contractors, both union and non-union, who invest in training the next generation of skilled workers,” Mr. Atkins said in the release.
The House’s amendment added a new section related to workforce training that would make changes to the Registered Apprenticeship Act. The Capital Dispatch reported that “state agencies and local governments would not be allowed to mandate requirements related to apprenticeship training for contractors, except when required by law. Cities, counties and school districts also would not be allowed to impose other additional ‘restrictions, qualifications, or requirements’ on contractors, subcontractors, developers and apprentices.”
State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, told Capital Dispatch that the measure will address attempts by local entities to favor contracts with certain entities, such as unions or groups with apprenticeship training.
But according to Tri City’s Mr. Atkins, “These politicians do not understand that apprenticeship programs are crucial to the construction industry’s advancement in Iowa and are supported by both union and non-union contractors.”
The council and its unions represent workers across many diverse sectors of the construction industry in Scott, Clinton and Muscatine counties in Iowa as well as Rock Island, Mercer, Henry, Knox, Warren and Henderson counties in Illinois.
Unemployment cuts decried
He added that the council’s members also strongly object to recent reductions in unemployment benefits for Iowans.
“Cutting support for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, while simultaneously attacking apprenticeship programs, sends a clear message: the needs of working families are not a priority,” he said. “These decisions are not just policy missteps – they are direct hits to the livelihoods and dignity of Iowa’s labor force.”
Tri City Council President Cory Bergfeld, who also is the business manager for IBEW Local 145, joined Mr. Atkins in asking Ms. Reynolds to reject SF 603.
“In an era when Iowa is grappling with a shortage of skilled construction workers, our leaders should be promoting apprenticeships, not discouraging them,” Mr. Bergfeld stated. “While we appreciate Gov. Reynolds’ efforts to provide tax relief for working Iowans, Senate File 603 falls short of that goal. Instead, it threatens to accelerate the exodus of young workers who are already leaving the state in search of middle-class job opportunities.
“If Iowa fails to invest in apprenticeship training, we will continue to lose our future workforce to states that prioritize skilled labor development,” he added.
