Roberts Criticizes Culver's Executive Order for Big Labor Special Interests

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rod Roberts is criticizing Governor Culver for signing an executive order intended to benefit “Big Labor” special interests. Culver’s Executive Order 22 requires state agencies to consider using Project Labor Agreements, which would result in state government only awarding public-works projects to contractors with unionized workers. Roberts says the executive order—which Culver signed today at a convention for Big Labor groups in Des Moines—is just an attempt by the Governor to pay off special-interest groups during an election year.

“The substance of Executive Order 22 has already been rejected by the Iowa Legislature and the people of Iowa, but Governor Culver is now trying to make an end run around the legislative process to score political points prior to the November election,” said Roberts, a five-term State Representative. “This is just the type of questionable leadership that the people of Iowa have become accustomed to from the Governor’s Office.”

Roberts points out that Executive Order 22 will hurt Iowa businesses and increase the costs of public-works projects for taxpayers. Further, Executive Order 22 will give large, out-of state contractors a competitive advantage over smaller Iowa contractors whose employees are not unionized. This would result in a loss of even more jobs for Iowans.

“With the state’s unemployment rate near an all-time high, we need to be enacting pro-business regulations that will create jobs,” said Roberts, an Assistant Minority Leader in the Iowa House. “I support eliminating the corporate income tax to bring new businesses and jobs to the state. And, I believe we should not only defend Iowa’s “Right to Work” law, but we should champion the law and use it as a marketing tool to bring new businesses to the state. Because of my belief in the power of pro-business regulations, I strongly oppose Executive Order 22 and I will rescind it as governor.”

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