Jobs & labor
Our vision for Iowa is one where public policy sets the ground rules for a level economic playing field for people and businesses. To achieve this vision, we must:
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Increase the minimum wage and enact paid sick and family leave.
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Crack down on wage theft and enforce workplace safety.
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Protect collective bargaining, IPERS and other public pensions.
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Reform workers’ compensation and unemployment systems to support Iowa workers in tough times.
Read Common Good Iowa's analysis and policy priorities related to jobs and labor issues:
January 2026
As our leaders cast about for solutions to Iowans’ affordability concerns, they’ve largely ignored a proven policy tool that would make a meaningful difference for up to 200,000 workers: increasing the minimum wage.
October 2025
State officials in 2024 conducted 77 child-labor investigations, including one that involved the death of a 17-year-old. According to data obtained by Common Good Iowa via open-records request, investigators issued warning letters for child-labor violations to eight businesses and issued civil monetary penalties, totaling $36,350, against four, including the one where the youth died.
April 2025
Republicans in Des Moines are again advancing legislation to slash unemployment insurance (UI) taxes for Iowa businesses. This move would give employers a break now — at the expense of the very system that protects Iowans during economic downturns. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency (LSA) recently released a fiscal analysis of House File 980, the latest version of the bill, and the analysis projects significant reductions in UI trust fund revenue that could put the system’s long-term stability at risk.