FORT WAYNE -- More than 150 people braved frigid weather Saturday to protest attempts to make Indiana a right-to-work state.
Despite a temperature of 20 degrees, the raucous crowd on the Courthouse Green downtown listened to speakers and chanted against moves in the General Assembly to prohibit unions and employers from agreeing to require all employees covered by a union contract to pay union dues.
Republicans say the move would spur the state's economy and attract new jobs to Indiana; opponents say it's a blatant attempt to bust unions and will lower wages for all Hoosier workers.
House Democrats have held up business several days this session in efforts to stop or slow the right-to-work bill; Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, told the sign-waving crowd that recent delays were just to ensure a proposed amendment to the bill putting the question to a referendum on the November ballot is constitutional.
"We want to make sure it will stand up to any challenge," GiaQuinta said. The state constitution only allows laws to be passed by the General Assembly; the Democrats' proposal creates a law that takes effect Nov. 5 but expires Nov. 7 if voters don't approve it in a referendum Nov. 6.
"This won't affect just unions, it's going to affect every citizen in the state of Indiana," GiaQuinta said. "So let them vote for or against it on the ballot in November."
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry said he's seen no evidence a right-to-work law would help the economy.
"Prove it's better to live in those (right-to-work) states than it is in Indiana," Henry said. "They haven't been able to prove it yet."
The crowd held signs saying "Let the people decide," "Say no to right to work," and "Right to work for less."
United Steel Workers member Herb Anderson said he has traveled the state talking to people about the right-to-work push.
"A lot of people don't understand it," Anderson said, "but almost all of them understand there's something not right about it."
Union member Adam Dancer, who wore his American-flag hard hat to the rally, said he didn't mind turning out in the cold for a rally.
"I'm used to the cold; I work in it," Dancer said. "(Right to work) almost makes me sick to my stomach. Hopefully we can defeat it – as a Democracy, we the people make the decisions, not the greedy politicians."
dstockman@jg.net
