House passes right-to-work amid protest chants
by Chelsea Schneider Kirk cschneider@post-trib.com January 25, 2012 4:21PM
Indiana State Police stand at the entrance of the House of Representatives during a debate on the right to work bill at the Statehouse Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Updated: January 26, 2012 6:06PM
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana House passed divisive right-to-work legislation, 54-44, on Wednesday clearing the way for Indiana to become the 23rd state to adopt the policy.
The House bill will move to the Senate where Republicans hold a supermajority.
All 10 lawmakers from Lake and Porter counties voted against the House bill. State Rep. Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, who serves portions of Porter County, was one of five Republicans voting against the bill. State Rep. Don Lehe, R-Brookston, who serves portions of Lake County, voted for the bill.
The more than two hours of debate began with a House Democrat opening the front doors of the chamber allowing the cries of protesters standing outside of the House to fill the room.
Over the chants of protesters screaming, “No right to work!” state Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, questioned how the bill is seen as a radical change if 22 other states have right-to-work laws.
“If I believed this would lower wages, I wouldn’t be pursuing the bill,” Torr said. “In fact, I believe the opposite is true.”
In right-to-work states, unions are prohibited from requiring nonmembers to pay dues or fees associated with the cost of representation. The Senate already passed the legislation with nine Republicans voting against the bill.
The debate over whether Indiana should become the 23rd right-to-work state has centered on proponents claiming the bill will enhance economic development opportunities but opponents claiming the bill is a “rush job” that will lower wages and hurt union bargaining power.
Democrats in both chambers attempted unsuccessfully to pass amendments that would have sent the issue to a statewide referendum. In the House, the majority of Democrats boycotted the floor for nine days denying enough members to conduct business.
House Speaker Brian Bosma ordered $1,000-per-day fines for four days on absent Democrats, though several members have joined a temporary court order blocking the collection of those fines from their paychecks.
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, took the floor to tell House members he’d voted against the bill.
“Right to property is the key to capitalism,” Soliday said. “When we don’t have the right to property, economic systems fail. One of the key components of right to property is the right to contract. As a business person who has spent most of his life in business both in for-profit and not-for-profit, one of the things I hold dear is the right to sign a contract that I want to sign without the interference of government.”
Bosma said with the vote, the House completed one of its missions this session.
“We keep hearing it’s divisive, a divisive issue,” Bosma said. “It appears to only be divisive with the opposition. That’s the only place where it’s seen any kind of conduct out of the ordinary ... . We’ve said from the start it’s not a silver bullet. It’s one more opportunity for employers to take a hard look at Indiana. I think it announces, especially in the Rust Belt, that we are open for business here.”
State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said Republicans failed to prove the right-to-work bill would benefit the state.
“This was a battle, but now you know we have to tuck our tails and accept the fact we lost on the floor, but we won the people of Indiana,” Brown said. “This will be a win for us come the fall.”
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