Release from Indiana AFL-CIO
Following today's passage of the so-called "right to work" law, Indiana State
AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement:
"On
behalf of all working men and women across Indiana, we are extremely
disappointed that the Indiana General Assembly has passed the "right to work for
less" bill today. They have set our state upon a path that will lead to lower
wages for all working Hoosiers, less safety at work, and less dignity and
security in old age or ill health. Indiana's elected officials have given the
wrong answer to the most important question of this generation.
I am
reminded of the saying "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it," and it seems especially fitting today. Hoosiers have been here
before. From 1957 to 1965, Indiana experimented with this exact same law and
after its utter failure to produce on any of its promises of economic salvation
Hoosiers rose up, changed elected officials and repealed it.
It appears
we are headed there again.
Sadly, the passage of this bill not only means
that workers' rights and ability to collectively bargain will be significantly
weakened, it means that strong arm tactics, misinformation and big money have
won at the Indiana Statehouse. Citizens who stood against this legislation were
barred from entering the Statehouse, were denied the chance to testify before
the committees considering it and were refused meetings with their own
legislators. Independent, fact-based assessments of the economic impact on this
legislation were dismissed in favor of stories, promises and unsubstantiated
claims by out-of-state special interest groups. And Indiana's legislative
traditions were dishonored as those in power rammed through this bill at
reckless speed to avoid further public scrutiny and to please their corporate
paymasters.
However their victory will be as short lived, as this
legislation is shortsighted. As working men and women did in the 1950s and 60s,
this generation of Hoosiers will now rise up, join forces and repeal this
anti-worker agenda again.
In 2006 Governor Daniels predicted a "civil
war" if this legislation was brought forth – yet, on his way out of office, he
launched this divisive attack anyway. But he was wrong; this is not a battle of
brother against brother. It is a battle of Hoosier neighbors against corporate
special interests from fields afar. And while it is not a war of our choosing,
over the days ahead, citizen by citizen, block by block, community by community,
legislative seat by legislative seat we will wage this "war" to take back our
government from the special interests and restore the hard-earned rights of all
Hoosier workers."
The Indiana State AFL-CIO (American Federation of
Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is a federation of 800 local
unions across the state belonging to 50 International Unions. In total, the
Indiana State AFL-CIO represents more than 300,000 working Hoosiers.
