On Feb. 17, Gov. Terry Branstad signed into law House File 291, which impacts the collective bargaining process for Iowa's public employees, including about 1,200 ISU merit staff covered by the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement. The university is monitoring the law's mandates and will continue to update employees.
Current negotiations
The State of Iowa currently is negotiating the 2017-19 AFSCME collective bargaining agreement, which goes into effect July 1. The current two-year agreement will remain in effect through June 30.
"This means that all benefits and other employment provisions of the current agreement, including health and dental insurance, will remain as is at least through June 30," said Kristi Darr, interim vice president for university human resources.
Darr added that the state's current health insurance plans for merit employees will not change on July 1, and will continue to be offered through Dec. 31.
"Once the 2017-19 contract is finalized and we know the full impact to the benefits, rules and procedures, we will share this important information with our employees," Darr said.
For more information, visit the UHR website.
