Indiana Democrats Flee to IL and KY to Avoid Voting on Right to Work Law
Posted: February 22, 2011 Filed under: collective bargaining, Democratic Politics, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics, unemployment, worker rights | Tags: collective bargaining, Democrats, Indiana right to work bill, Mitch Daniels, Patti Smith, Power to the people, Republicans, Scott "Mubarak" Walker, unions, Wisconsin 32 Comments
Indiana House with Empty Democratic Seats
Yes, folks, it’s going viral! Indiana House Democrats have emulated Wisconsin Democratic Senators and leave the state rather than vote on a draconian anti-union bill.
Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.
A source tells The Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.
The House came into session twice this morning, with only three of the 40 Democrats present. Those were needed to make a motion, and a seconding motion, for any procedural steps Democrats would want to take to ensure Republicans don’t do anything official without quorum.
With only 58 legislators present, there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be present.
Indiana Government Mitch Daniels, who has completely unrealistic presidential aspirations tried to laugh off the Democrats’ strategy.
downplayed the boycott and the labor protests and laughed off suggestions that he might send the state police to pick up Democrats, some of whom left the state to escape their jurisdiction.
[….]
The right-to-work bill would prohibit Hoosier companies from entering into contracts requiring employees either to join a union or pay union dues or fees.
The bill would have a dramatic impact on teachers.
“Indiana teachers are gonna have a massively different lifestyle in terms of take home pay and benefits packages that what they have now.”
Indiana State University Economics Professor Robert Guell agrees right to work laws will affect the way labor unions collectively bargain.
The bill would prohibit union membership and fees from being a condition of employment.
Labor unions say the bill also takes away their ability to collectively bargain.
Guell somewhat disagrees.
“They’re taking away our right to collectively bargain. Well, not really. They’re taking away the right to collectively bargain something that is outside the wage and benefits pacakge.”
So it’s basically the same thing as what Walker is trying to do in Wisconsin.
According to the Indianapolis Star story, Daniels had actually warned Republicans against pushing this bill, because it would be so controversial.
Gov. Mitch Daniels had warned his party late last year against pursuing so-called “right to work” legislation. While he agreed with it philosophically, he said it was a big issue that needed a state-wide debate and noted no Republican had run on this in the November election.
Gee, he sounds slightly more rational than Scott “Mubarak” Walker. Late this afternoon he apparently urged Republicans to drop the matter entirely. As far as I can tell Democratic members are staying away until that happens.
Power to the People!!
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Quote from Ohio Gov. John Kasich:
It’s about time these Republicans learned that public employees are taxpayers–and the middle class is paying plenty toward government expenses.
Good grief. Does he not think he pays the bills? He’s a government worker too!
The stupidity of these people is amazing. I know it’s probably all politics, they can’t be that dumb, can they?
Actually, I think they are that dumb. Either that or they went insane from reading Atlas Shrugged.
“Or they went insane from reading Atlas Shrugged” Ok, so now I’m ROTFL. In High School my geeky first boyfriend wanted me to read that. I think I made it a few pages in and said, ‘This sucks!’ and that was it.
It’s possible to go temporarily insane by reading Ayn Rand. I did for a period at university. Even used money I didn’t actually have to subscribe to her “Objectivist” newsletter.
Yup. I was going to say that I just did my taxes. Guess I don’t count.
they got the idea from the killer Ds
in texas
Sure did! I think this has been used in the past as well, to stop legislation.
Yes, I remember that well.
im glad to see it happening
Me too. I’m thrilled!
OT: CNN projects former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel wins the Chicago mayoral vote by more than 50%, avoiding a runoff
Big whoop….
same as it ever was
Why do they act like it was in doubt and we should be surprised? The machine obviously wanted him. Now, to figure out how to subvert the machine.
even the expression on the smirky twins Parker and Spitzer was “so what” when they announced the projection
I saw that on Parker Spitzer earlier… poor Carol Moseley Braun had only like 9% (or 6.. I forget) of the vote or something, on the early returns anyway. F’n Rahm, ahem.
Maybe they think Rahm’ll have them a new way to get the Olympics or something. *smirk*
Lol… Rahm could start a “F’n Rio” campaign.
These attacks of union busting is the clearest sign to me, of why we needed a Public Option, as every worker is talking about their skyrocketing health premiums. Obama sold us out in private with one GOP Senator and the Democratic Party needs to do a lot of explaining.
I called my congressperson today about Planned Parenthood and how the Republicans are trying to cut off their funding and gave them an ear full of how this all got speed from the President Obama Stupak Executive Order and how we don’t have a Public Option to boot too!
The GOP is bold because we don’t have a strong voice in the White House and he just said me too, to get elected then tossed us under the bus.
E-mail going around, which I thought I would share since we keep being asked to HELP OUT again and again…by the D.C. elected people.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security
They do. Fed. employees and congress critters since Raygun was in office contribute to Soc. Sec. The old Civil Service Retirement Service was replaced by FERS, Federal Employees Retirement System. Anyone, a fed employee or congress critter who was in office before that stayed under the old system. If you joined fed svc or were elected after, then you were enrolled in FERS. There are 3 parts to FERS that employees contribute to: 1. Soc. Sec., 2. a small % FERS retirement, and 3. the TSP, Thrift Savings Plan, which is similar to a 401k. There’s a bit more to FERS than just the basics I put here, but you can google and check it out if you wish.
(sigh) I hate that this old bugaboo is still making the rounds.
I’ll have to do 2 comments to put this up so it doesn’t go to spammy.
FERS:
http://www.opm.gov/retire/pre/fers/index.asp
Thrift Savings Plan:
https://www.tsp.gov/index.shtml
Indiana Dems still in Illinois. They were interviewed on the local 11pm news at their hiding place. No tea partiers seen in the parking lot there! The “right-to-work” bill will die at midnight without a quorum at the Statehouse.
http://indiana.onpolitix.com/news/36586/state-democrats-are-hiding-in-illinois
Let’s do a count down!
It’s 12:03 here. The bill is dead!
Woot! Now, let’s hope they don’t turn it into a resurrected zombie bill.
The Indiana state song, composed by Paul Dresser ( older brother of Theodore Dreiser ). Corny, I know, but I like it.
Wow, as someone who has dodged her share of ridicule for tuning into Lawrence Welk on PBS, I would’ve guessed that the Indiana state song was Back Home Again in Indiana. For a state that doesn’t particularly rhyme with anything, there are lots of Indiana-themed songs. 🙂
Go Midwest! And may it spread nationally.