Delegates marched from their hotel conference room to the Capitol building, where there were welcomed and encouraged by State Rep. Rick Larkin a UE Local 893 member. Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson gave a special presentation to the UE delegation, complete with charts, to show how the Republican-dominated legislature had so drastically cut taxes that the state lacks funds for needed programs. She challenged union members to tell the legislature to adequately fund necessary state programs. Union members readily agreed, but stressed that state officials must listen to front-line workers, not just managers. UE members were insistent in reminding state officials that their union, for more than a decade, has been telling Des Moines that it is an outrage that too few social workers have been trying to carry too many cases.
Tragic episodes are an inevitable result.
After that, the close to 50 delegates spread out to legislative chambers where they spoke to a number of representatives and senators on the issues and supported each other in raising issues. Delegates from Local 896, which represents graduate employees of the University of Iowa, gave the facts on their poverty-stricken conditions. At the start of the day, delegates were jointly welcomed by the presidents of the two largest local unions, Bill Austin of Local 893, IUP, and Jennifer Sherer of Local 896, and District Pres. Carl Rosen . Bob Clark celebrated the dramatic growth of the union in Iowa over the past decade, an expansion which created the breadth of representation at the day s gathering.