(The following appeared on the Indianapolis Star website on February 21, 2011.)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Over the protests of thousands of labor union members who filled the Statehouse, a House committee voted on party lines today to send a bill that would bar unions and companies from negotiating contracts that require all employees to pay fees for representation.
House Bill 1468 — which supporters call the “right to work” bill and which opponents call the “right to work for less” bill — passed the House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee on an 8-5 vote and now goes to the full House for debate.
The last-minute push for the bill by Republicans came despite Gov. Mitch Daniels’ admonition to the legislature that this is a big issue that should not be brought up in this session because it hasn’t had a statewide debate and wasn’t a campaign issue in the November election.
The full story and a photo gallery appear at www.indystar.com.