cronincal

there can't be so many caucus-goers that they can't be covered for at work for a few hours.

December 28, 2007
Some bosses bar night workers from caucuses
By JENNIFER JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Ruth Kennedy's boss won't let her take time off from her night-shift job so she can caucus. She's not alone — emergency workers and other Iowans on the night shift will miss the marquee political event in Iowa.

Three weeks ago, Kennedy asked to leave her customer service job at Mediacom at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 so she could caucus for Democrat Hillary Clinton. She said her supervisor waited until Christmas Eve to deny the request, saying that they couldn't spare her, that they hadn't had such requests before and that one fewer person at the caucus wouldn't make a difference anyway.

"It made me so furious," said Kennedy, who lives in Des Moines. "I raised such a fit I'm surprised they didn't send me home."

Nothing in the law requires Iowa employers to give workers time off so they can stand up for the presidential candidate of their choice.

Caucuses are functions of the Democratic and Republican parties of Iowa. They're not elections, and they're not regulated by state government.

"You cannot dictate to a party how to nominate their nominee. It'd be like us forcing the Boy Scouts to conduct their elections a certain way. We can't. It's a private club," said Frank Chiodo, Iowa deputy secretary of state.

Job duties will bar some Iowans from the caucuses, which start at 6:30 p.m. for Democrats and 7 p.m. for Republicans on Jan. 3.

The pinch is being felt more than usual by Des Moines emergency workers. As candidates gather with hundreds of supporters, staff and the national media in Des Moines, more police and firefighters will be required to be on shift in Des Moines than is typical for a Tuesday night. That means even fewer can caucus.

That worries some firefighters, who have endorsed Democrat Christopher Dodd. The firefighters have "a pretty good time" at the caucuses, and were counting on their enthusiasm to move undecided Iowans to the Dodd team, said Lt. John TeKippe, president of Des Moines Association of Professional Fire Fighters.

TeKippe likens Dodd to a heart attack patient who may not survive. Eight minutes is the window of time emergency workers have to save a heart attack victim.

"We've been in this caucus season for about seven and a half minutes," TeKippe said. "Our job caucus night is to make our candidate viable. If he's viable, then he's got a ticket out of the state and everybody else can look at him. It's pretty big for us."

But extra firefighters will be on shift that night, being paid overtime, so that all 10 Des Moines stations are fully staffed.

"We've had mixed reaction to that," TeKippe said. "Some say, 'Well, yeah, that's great. We should be like that every night. And why not for Race for the Cure or the Des Moines marathon?' "

The politically active president of the Des Moines police union happens to be one of the nighttime officers who won't be able to caucus. Supervisors limited the number of third-watch officers allowed to take time off, which means about 30 percent more officers will be on the street than the usual minimum.

In addition, the special operations Metro STAR unit will be on duty to assist Secret Service agents with candidate protection.

Des Moines Police Bargaining Unit Association President Stewart Barnes, who supports Democrat Barack Obama, said: "I have a concern when any individual who would normally be allowed to be politically active is restricted by policy or mandate. I don't see what makes this occasion any more prominent than the State Fair when we have tens of thousands more people in town."

More than 300 tire production workers assigned to the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift at the Firestone plant in Des Moines will be excluded from caucusing, said Al Skinner, president of United Steel Workers Local 310.

"They will not excuse anybody to caucus," Skinner said. "I raised it with them. Our position is that a caucus is the same thing as a primary election, but the law's pretty specific."

Meanwhile, both the Republican Party of Iowa and the Iowa Democratic Party are encouraging employers to make arrangements to release workers who want to caucus.
"Of course we'd like to encourage it, given this is such an important year and Iowa has a vital role in the presidential selection process," said Mary Tiffany of the Republican party. "This year could determine what happens to our first-in-the-nation status."

Neither Tiffany nor Carrie Giddins of the Democratic Party had heard of any Iowan having trouble getting time off to caucus before getting a call from The Des Moines Register this week.

For an election, Iowa law grants employees three consecutive hours to vote, as long as they notify their employer in writing in advance, said Michael Mauro, Iowa secretary of state. With the polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., most employees can find time during their nonwork hours to vote.

For the caucus, Iowans must be able to dedicate an hour or two, although they can leave after the presidential preference selection process. They don't need to stick around for the other party business.

Reporter Jennifer Janeczko Jacobs can be reached at (515) 284-8127 or jejacobs@dmreg.com

Heretic

Maybe they should just ditch the caucus system and vote in a normal primary process instead.

I'm tired of Iowa fucking up the election and pushing bad candidates onto us.

__________________
"In space no one can hear you scream. in D.C. it won't matter..." -Clinton Resurrection: The Alien Queen lives!

cronincal

maybe they should, but it ain't gonna happen this year.

Heretic

Just means another fuckup president then.

__________________
"In space no one can hear you scream. in D.C. it won't matter..." -Clinton Resurrection: The Alien Queen lives!

cronincal

well, look at the upside. that means you can continue to bitch about everything until 2012.

Heretic

I'd rather not. Besides, the environmental issues are too big for the next Hal-Assed Administration to do jack shit about it.

__________________
"In space no one can hear you scream. in D.C. it won't matter..." -Clinton Resurrection: The Alien Queen lives!

Sean

Iowa, always fucking Iowa...

cheapseats

For real.

How is it that every four or so years, one state OF FIFTY has such inordinate influence on our collective affairs?

Fuck Florida.

Fuck Ohio.

Fuck Iowa.

Fuck New Hampshire.

Not really, of course. I am inspired to visit them all.

But I'm from California, for fuck's sake. Is it conceivable that the Will of the gigantic State of California might be more consequential than the Will of puny New Hampshire? Right, I forgot, it's all about equality. Surely, then, my state counts for THE SAME as some of these other squirt states?

WHY DON'T ALL THE STATES HAVE THE SAME PRIMARY SYSTEM ON THE SAME DAY (PREFERABLY WEEK, WITH A PAPER TRAIL)?

So far, the only rationalization for the insanity is that "we have always done it that way."

Not good enough.

Not fair enough.

Not right enough.

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cheapseats

WHY DON'T ALL THE STATES HAVE THE SAME PRIMARY SYSTEM ON THE SAME DAY (PREFERABLY WEEK, WITH A PAPER TRAIL)?


Alex, I'll take Giant Scams for $800.

What political process...which often includes ironic and insincere decrying of Big Business...is, itself, A HUGE FUCKING BUSINESS?

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Heretic

Iowa fucking us... right up the ass.

'Nother four years of limping through history.

__________________
"In space no one can hear you scream. in D.C. it won't matter..." -Clinton Resurrection: The Alien Queen lives!