Letter to the Editor: Concerns with collective bargaining reform

To the Editor:

I stood opposed to the collective bargaining reform rushed through the statehouse. As part of my opposition, I contacted each legislator currently representing the state. Senator Breitbach responded to my message. He seemed to take offense when I suggested that the collective bargaining reform was the result of lawmakers beholden to out-of-state interest groups. He said he saw no problem with lawmakers using model legislation from out-of-state groups instead of drafting it from scratch.

I take offense at that approach to writing laws for Iowa. The state motto is, “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” I’m not opposed to reforming collective bargaining - I’m opposed to the way it was done. I’m concerned about the impact it will have on education in our state, and I have not heard from any school board or superintendent who contributed to rewriting collective bargaining. Perhaps “beholden” is not the correct word. But the way this bill came about simply was not Iowan.

Sincerely,

Thomas Klett
Story City