State Made Secret Settlements with 6 Whose Jobs Were Cut

The state made more than $282,000 in secret settlement deals with six former employees, most of whom claimed their jobs were eliminated because of their Democratic ties. In interviews with the Des Moines Register newspaper, the six say their complaints to the Public Employee Relations Board and their settlements show systematic efforts by Gov. Terry Branstad to embrace widespread Republican cronyism.In several of the cases, the dismissed employees were offered larger settlements if they agreed to sign confidentiality agreements. Several did, but at least two refused to sign despite the fi...