Sen. Joe Bolkcom yesterday warned that Iowa is “two votes away from Wisconsin,” and he is absolutely right.

Across the country Republicans have launched an assault on organized labor and the working men and women they represent. While we’ve seen massive protests in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana, the attack on the middle-class has been steadily advancing within our own borders.

Following an all-nighter, Republicans on the House Labor Committee passed a bill which would limit collective bargaining rights at 6 AM this morning. While House Democrats were, thankfully, able to force Republicans from some of the worst provisions of the bill, this is still an attack on collective bargaining and the public employees who keep Iowa running.

The bill, which will now head to the full House for debate, begins to chip away at workers’ rights by limiting what can and cannot be bargained upon.  If passed in its current form, health insurance – a key concern for working families – would no longer be able to be bargained upon.

Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt stood up for public workers during the hearing, saying:

“We are willing to go all night long here, tomorrow, through the weekend, however long we need to take, so we will not take away rights from police officers, firefighters teachers, state troopers and all of our other workers.

“They clear our streets after a snowstorm…When you’re driving home tonight or tomorrow or this weekend or whenever we’re done with this bill, don’t take for granted the streets that you’re on are from hard-working people who care and professionals.”

Yesterday, Chairwoman Dvorsky sent an email to our list of supporters detailing how Gov. Branstad has stood firmly beside Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as he tries to dismantle unions. In fact, Branstad told POLITICO that he would support an “all-out effort” to take control of the Senate to “do what other states are doing and what has to be done for the long term.”

Clearly this fight is just beginning, but Democrats continue to stand on the side of working Iowans.

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UPDATE: 10:45 AM

The Des Moines Register’s updated story on the hearing is worth reading. Click here for the full story. One of the most shocking pieces is the lack of attention and respect House Republicans showed for the process:

Throughout the proceedings, most of the nine Republicans on the panel stared blankly into their laptop computers, catching up on e-mail or checking out the Internet. At one point, Hunter noticed that Rep. Greg Forristall, R-Macedonia, was wearing headphones. “A point of order,” Hunter said. “Could we ask Rep. Forristall to pretend he’s paying attention?”

Forristall smiled sheepishly as he took off the headphones. However, Rep. Linda Miller, R- Bettendorf, continued to play “hearts” card games on her computer. She propped her feet up on a chair and turned her back partway from the Democrats and their debating points. Miller and her GOP colleagues looked up every once in a while to take part in another 9-5 vote to defeat an amendment.