Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 20.12 (2026)

Strikes prohibited — penalties

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. It shall be unlawful for any public employee or any employee organization, directly or indirectly, to induce, instigate, encourage, authorize, ratify, or participate in a strike against any public employer. 2. It shall be unlawful for any public employer to authorize, consent to, or condone a strike; or to pay or agree to pay any public employee for any day in which the employee participates in a strike; or to pay or agree to pay any increase in compensation or benefits to any public employee in response to or as a result of any strike or any act which violates subsection 1. It shall be unlawful for any official, director, or representative of any public\n\nTue Dec 09 22:32:26 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 20 (35, 0) §20.12, PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS (COLLECTIVE BARGAINING) 8\n\nemployer to authorize, ratify, or participate in any violation of this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent new or renewed bargaining and agreement within the scope of negotiations as defined by this chapter, at any time after such violation of subsection 1 has ceased; but it shall be unlawful for any public employer or employee organization to bargain at any time regarding suspension or modification of any penalty provided in this section or regarding any request by the public employer to a court for such suspension or modification. 3. In the event of any violation or imminently threatened violation of subsection 1 or 2, any citizen domiciled within the jurisdictional boundaries of the public employer may petition the district court for the county in which the violation occurs or the district court for Polk county for an injunction restraining such violation or imminently threatened violation. Rules of civil procedure 1.1501 to 1.1511 regarding injunctions shall apply. However, the court shall grant a temporary injunction if it appears to the court that a violation has occurred or is imminently threatened; the plaintiff need not show that the violation or threatened violation would greatly or irreparably injure the plaintiff; and no bond shall be required of the plaintiff unless the court determines that a bond is necessary in the public interest. Failure to comply with any temporary or permanent injunction granted pursuant to this section shall constitute a contempt punishable pursuant to chapter 665. The punishment shall not exceed five hundred dollars for an individual, or ten thousand dollars for an employee organization or public employer, for each day during which the failure to comply continues, or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or both such fine and imprisonment. An individual or an employee organization which makes an active good faith effort to comply fully with the injunction shall not be deemed to be in contempt. 4. If a public employee is held to be in contempt of court for failure to comply with an injunction pursuant to this section, or is convicted of violating this section, the employee shall be ineligible for any employment by the same public employer for a period of twelve months. The employee’s public employer shall immediately discharge the employee, but upon the employee’s request the court shall stay the discharge to permit further judicial proceedings. 5. If an employee organization or any of its officers is held to be in contempt of court for failure to comply with an injunction pursuant to this section, or is convicted of violating this section, the employee organization shall be immediately decertified, shall cease to represent the bargaining unit, and may again be certified only after twenty-four months have elapsed from the effective date of decertification and only if a new petition for certification pursuant to section 20.14 is filed and a new certification election pursuant to section 20.15 is held. The penalties provided in this section may be suspended or modified by the court, but only upon request of the public employer and only if the court determines the suspension or modification is in the public interest. 6. Each of the remedies and penalties provided by this section is separate and several, and is in addition to any other legal or equitable remedy or penalty. [C75, 77, 79, 81, §20.12] 2017 Acts, ch 2, §8, 26, 27 Referred to in §20.10

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 10 cases, 1978–2019 · leading case: AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 928 N.W.2d 21 (Iowa 2019).

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AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 928 N.W.2d 21 (Iowa 2019). · cites it 8× “The sanctions can include imprisonment for six months; daily individual fines of $500; daily union fines of $10,000; termination from employment and ineligibility for public employment for one year; decertification of union and one-year waiting period for recertification;…”

MAX 100 LC v. Iowa Realty Co., Inc., 621 N.W.2d 178 (Iowa 2001). · cites it 2× “See Iowa Code § 20.12 (3) (if a violation has occurred or is imminent, “the plaintiff need not show the violation” would cause irreparable injury); § 499.”

Charles City Cmty. Sch. Dist. v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 275 N.W.2d 766 (Iowa 1979). · cites it 2× “[3] The Iowa PERA, § 20.12, states strikes by public employees against any public employer shall be unlawful.”

Int'l Bhd. of Elec. Workers, Local Union 1245 v. City of Gridley, 666 P.2d 960 (Cal. 1983). · cites it 2× “8]; Iowa [Iowa Code Ann., § 20.12]; Florida [Fla. Stats.”

City of Des Moines v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 275 N.W.2d 753 (Iowa 1979). “The Act prohibits strikes by public employees, § 20.12, The Code, replacing this economic weapon with a statutory impasse procedure.”

City of Des Moines v. Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 264 N.W.2d 324 (Iowa 1978). · cites it 2× “Although the above cases concern strike situations which should not occur in Iowa, § 20.12, The Code, the conflict of loyalties may arise in other circumstances.”

Com. Sav. Bank v. Hawkeye Fed. Sav. Bank, 592 N.W.2d 321 (Iowa 1999). “§ 20.12, at 80. The danger is not that the sophisticated buyer will actually purchase from the defendant/second user believing that he has purchased from plaintiff/first user, but rather that the purchaser will be misled into an initial interest in defendant based on a mistaken…”

City of Cedar Rapids v. McConnell-Stevely-Anderson Architects & Planners, P.C., 423 N.W.2d 17 (Iowa 1988). “See generally 6 McQuillin, The Law of Municipal Corporations § 20.12 (3rd ed. 1984). The elements of promissory estoppel are (1) a clear and definite agreement; (2) proof that the parties seeking to enforce the agreement reasonably relied upon it to their detriment; and (3) a…”

AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd. (Iowa 2019). · cites it 4× “The sanctions can include imprisonment for six months; daily individual fines of $500; daily union fines of $10,000; termination from employment and ineligibility for public employment for one year; decertification of union and one-year waiting period for recertification;…”

Reiff Funeral Homes, Inc. v. Robert B. Reiff d/b/a Reiff Funeral Home & Crematory (Iowa Ct. App. 2019). “§ 20.12, at 80. The danger is not that the sophisticated buyer will actually purchase from the defendant/second user believing that he has purchased from plaintiff/first user, but rather that the purchaser will be misled into an initial interest in defendant based on a mistaken…”

— Iowa Code § 20.12(3) — 2 cases

AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd., 928 N.W.2d 21 (Iowa 2019). “The sanctions can include imprisonment for six months; daily individual fines of $500; daily union fines of $10,000; termination from employment and ineligibility for public employment for one year; decertification of union and one-year waiting period for recertification;…”

AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. State of Iowa & Iowa Pub. Emp. Relations Bd. (Iowa 2019). “The sanctions can include imprisonment for six months; daily individual fines of $500; daily union fines of $10,000; termination from employment and ineligibility for public employment for one year; decertification of union and one-year waiting period for recertification;…”

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