DES MOINES, Iowa —

Iowa labor unions are pushing back against the latest recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as Iowa DOGE. The controversy centers on an idea regarding government employee benefits.

Currently, the state is contributing nearly 70% to an employee's retirement plan, where the employee is contributing 30%. In the private sector, these percentages would almost be opposite of that," Terry Lutz, Iowa DOGE task force member, said.

Lutz is suggesting a study to examine compensation and benefits, aiming to align state employees with those in the private sector. Unions representing state employees say that's problematic. He says the changes could potentially only impact new employees and not existing ones.

"They claim they want to be more simil

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