INDIANAPOLIS — A political fight at the Indiana Statehouse over a contentious labor bill has put the state in the national spotlight, capturing the attention of NFL players, The New York Times and national political commentators.
Even Sports Illustrated has taken notice. The magazine posted a wire story on its website Friday that said the professional football players’ union had accused Indiana Republicans who control the Statehouse of trying to “ram through” the “right to work” legislation before next month’s Super Bowl is played in Indianapolis.
The statement from the National Football League Players Association was issued shortly before a Senate labor committee advanced the bill for the full Senate to vote on next week. After the committee vote, House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer stalled action on the House version of the bill for the third day in a row, by keeping most members of his caucus away from a quorum vote.
He took the action the day after he was interviewed on MSNBC by liberal political commentator Ed Schultz.
Friday’s Senate committee hearing was covered by a New York Times reporter and photographer. Along with a crowd of lobbyists, legislators, union members, business owners and other media, they sat through hours of often conflicting testimony.
The legislation would make it a misdemeanor crime for an employer to enter into a labor contract that requires all workers in a collective bargaining unit to pay union dues or fees.
Indiana Chamber of Commerce Kevin Brinegar said the law would lure union-averse companies into Indiana and create more jobs.
Retired Indiana University economist Morton Marcus said the law would interfere with private-sector contract rights and “reinforce Indiana’s image as a mean-spirited and backward state.”
Much of the testimony followed suit. Bill backers brought in the president of the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce to tout his state’s economic growth since 2001, when Oklahomans passed a referendum approving a “right to work” law. That testimony was countered by University of Oregon economist Gordon Lafer who said one-third fewer companies have moved into Oklahoma since the law was passed.
The legislation is getting national attention because no state has passed a “right to work” law since Oklahoma did. Indiana would become the 23rd state with such a law, and the first in the nation’s traditional manufacturing belt.
The politically divisive nature of the bill was illustrated during the hearing by an exchange between Republican Sen. Carlin Yoder of Middlebury, the Senate’s bill author, and Democrat Sen. Tim Skinner of Terre Haute, a leading opponent of the legislation.
Yoder said the legislation would free workers from mandatory union dues and would compel unions to have to prove their value to members. “This is not an anti-labor bill,” Yoder said.
Skinner said he was suspect of that claim, citing recent state actions that diminished the role of public sector unions. “This is a union-busting state,” he said. “First it was public employees. Then ... it was the teachers unions. And now it’s the trade unions.”
The only Republican committee member to vote against the bill was Sen. Brent Waltz of Greenwood. He said he wanted to amend the bill to exempt the building and construction trade unions. That exemption was included in last year’s version of the bill. After the hearing, Yoder said he would oppose Waltz’s amendment and any other exemptions to the legislation.
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