Statement by Senator Steve Sodders of Marshalltown –
Governor, at your Monday news conference, you said want to “make sure people’s civil rights are not violated.”
Governor, the way your administration used the state employment blacklist strongly suggests you violated the civil rights of people in my Senate district.
I’m talking about workers at the Iowa Veterans Home, many working for modest wages, preparing meals, cleaning clothes, bathing and caring for elderly Iowa veterans.
Governor, 61 Iowa Veterans Home employees were added to the state blacklist during your current term.
That’s twice as many as you added during your entire 4th term in office, from 1995 to 1998.
Your current Administration blacklisted nearly twice as many Iowa Veterans Home workers as Governors Vilsack and Culver did during the entire 12 years they served in office.
In fact, your current administration blacklisted Iowa Veterans Home workers at a yearly rate which is more than 4 times greater than the yearly rate of all previous years recorded in the blacklist.
That’s why I am renewing my call for an investigation of the Worley years at the Iowa Veterans Home.
Governor, as you were repeatedly told at the time by workers, residents, Iowa veterans advocates and the Marshalltown news media, Commandant David Worley bullied staff at the Iowa Veterans Home, created a hostile work environment that hurt the care of Iowa veterans, and committed acts of sexual harassment.
Governor, do you know that of the 61 Iowa Veterans Home workers blacklisted by your administration, 50 were women?
After months of doing nothing, Governor, you finally replaced Mr. Worley on October 1 of last year.
At that time, you issued an outrageous statement saying: “I want to thank David for his years of service and important changes at the Iowa Veterans Home.”
Governor Branstad, it is time to end the cover-up at the Iowa Veterans Home. I’m asking you to launch an independent effort to determine if Veterans Home workers were wrongly fired and then blacklisted under the leadership of David Worley.
If you refuse to act, then the Legislature should undertake this responsibility.
It is the least we can do for those workers whom the evidence indicates were bullied by Administration, wrongly fired, and then banned from future employment.
