The anti Iowa Governor Terry Branstad pins which were being worn by state prison employees were first banned by the Brandstad administration back in December of 2011 and according to The Des Moines Register, the ban was recently upheld.
The unfavorable pins show a photograph of Gov. Branstad’s face with a big red line through it and the words “NOTHING HAS CHANGED” and the bottom and “1991 OR 2011” at the top.
The pins were both designed and distributed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees (AFSCME) in protest of Branstad having partially vetoed a budget bill which forced 36 state unemployment offices to close. The closed offices were replaced with hundreds of self-help computer kiosks.
Brandstad’s administration first banned the pins following employees at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville wearing them while on the job. In response, the union filed a complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board in which it argued that it was their legal right to wear the pins.
In other news, Gov. Brandstad indicated that over 1,500 workers would likely lose their jobs as a result of the avian flu outbreak which has hit the state hard, KDLT News reported Thursday.
Over 33 million birds in Iowa have been affected by the spread of the deadly virus. Subsequently, the governor has requested federal assistance as he implores President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster for the four most deeply impacted counties in the state.
Brandstad indicated that the state’s egg industry expects losses to exceed $1 billion in lost production.
Chickens and turkeys lost to the recent bird flu outbreak in the state have been valued in excess of $83 million.
