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Exodus: Dems
trigger Statehouse
showdown
Written by
Mary Beth Schneider
2:44 PM, Feb. 22, 2011|
Seats on one side of the Indiana House
were nearly empty today as House
Democrats departed the the state rather
than vote on anti-union legislation.
A source tells The Indianapolis Star that
Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it
was possible some also might go to
Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a
Democratic governor to avoid being taken
into police custody and returned to Indiana.
The House came into session twice this
morning, with only three of the 40
Democrats present. Those were needed to
make a motion, and a seconding motion,
for any procedural steps Democrats would
want to take to ensure Republicans don’t
do anything official without quorum.
With only 58 legislators present, there was
no quorum present to do business. The
House needs 67 of its members to be
present.
House Speaker Brian Bosma said he did
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not know yet whether he would ask the
Indiana State Police to compel the
lawmakers to attend, if they can be found.
Today’s fight was triggered by Republicans
pushing a bill that would bar unions and
companies from negotiating a contract that
requires non-union members to kick-in
fees for representation. It’s become the
latest in what is becoming a national fight
over Republican attempts to eliminate or
limit collective bargaining.
Gov. Mitch Daniels had warned his party
late last year against pursuing so-called
“right to work” legislation. While he agreed
with it philosophically, he said it was a big
issue that needed a state-wide debate and
noted no Republican had run on this in the
November election.
But now that his party is pursuing it,
Daniels has not spoken against it. He has
so far issued no statement, has held no
news conference and has not been
interviewed by any Indiana reporters in the
Statehouse. Daniels did do a radio
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interview Monday with National Public
Radio in which he discussed the labor fight
which has caused a government stalemate
in Wisconsin — where Senate Democrats
have fled to Illinois to prevent a vote on a
bill that limits collective bargaining --a
now, apparently, his state.
Today, the union members who have filled
the Statehouse — an estimated 4,000
according to the Indiana State Police —
held a rally, chanting such things as “Ditch
Mitch” and “Save Our Families,” which he
must have heard as he worked in his
nearby Statehouse office.
Union supporters say the bill which has
sparked the protests, House Bill 1468 such
a measure would weaken bargaining power
because companies under collective
bargaining agreements would no longer
have to hire union members. Supporters,
including the state's Chamber of
Commerce, say it would makes Indiana
more appealing to business and will bring
jobs to the state.
Tim Kilbourne, a plow truck mechanic for
the city of Indianapolis, said he and other
workers would keep coming to the
Statehouse until legislators kill the bill.
"All these bills here is to kill the worker," he
said.
House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer, D-
South Bend, “has taken a page out of the
Wisconsin Senate playbook apparently” by
keeping his caucus in hiding, Bosma said.
“They are shirking the job that they were
hired to do.”
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In Wisconsin, Senate Democrats have fled
to Illinois to deny Republicans the quorum
they need to pass legislation limiting
collective bargaining for many public
employees.
Asked at what point he would call in the
Indiana State Police to attempt to round up
the Democrats, Bosma said: “We’ll see how
the day goes.”
Bosma said he spoke to Daniels and said
the governor is “very supportive of our
position to come in and try to do our work.
He was not pleased that the Democrats
weren’t here to do their work. And like me
is just waiting to see how the course of the
day proceeds.”
Austin told reporters that “it doesn’t matter
where they (Democrats) are at this point.
What matters is that they’re trying to figure
out a way to save the state from this radical
agenda.”
Asked if they were in the state, Austin said
only: “They’re working hard.”
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Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan

Parker said it’s not important where the
Democrat lawmakers are.

“This is a principled fight,” Parker said.

What’s important, he said, is that they are

standing up to an agenda they believe will
cut wages for Indiana workers, both in
unions and those who do not belong to
unions. They’ll return, he said, when they :
drop the bills Democrats see as an “assault
on the middle class.”

Bosma, though, said Republicans are

“counting on common sense and a sense of
responsibility to prevail and that they would
get back here and do the job that they
were elected to do."

The last time a prolonged walk-out

happened in the Indiana legislature was in
the mid-1990s, when Republicans were in
control and tried to draw new legislative
district maps, eliminating a district that
likely would have been a Democrat one, in
the middle of the decade. Democrats won
that standoff, staying away several days
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until Republicans dropped the plan.

Call Star reporter Mary Beth Schneider at

(317) 444-2772.

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Zoom
Indiana House seats normally occupied by
Democrats sit empty after the party's representatives
bolted the Statehouse to avoid anti-union
legislation, idling their Republican counterparts
across the aisle. / MATT DETRICH / The Star
Zoom
Todd Kegley, President of Local 9231 of New
Carlisle, screams a chant as he and other union
members from throughout the State of Indiana
protest several anti-labor bills outside the Senate
chambers at the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday. /
MATT DETRICH / The Star
Fast facts
A look at some numbers related to the Democrats’
walkout today:
2nd: Indiana is the second state to see Democratic
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lawmakers walk out this session. Fourteen
Wisconsin Senate Democrats fled their state over
their Republican governor’s push to restrict
collective bargaining and require government
workers to pay more of their health-care and
pension costs.
2: Number of Indiana’s 40 House Democrats who
were in the chamber when Republican Speaker Brian
Bosma tried to begin the session today. Another
Democratic rep was elsewhere in the Statehouse.
Two-thirds: That’s how many representatives must
be present for a quorum in the 100-member body.
21: How many other states have right-to-work laws
similar to the bill under consideration in Indiana.
14.7 million: Number of workers in unions
nationwide last year.
7.6 million: Number of people who work for
governments.
$125 billion: Possible deficit total for U.S. states in
the next fiscal year.
$200 million: How much unions spent last year to
try to keep the Democrats in control of Congress.
— Star staff and news services
Related Links
Daniels: I won’t send state police to round up
Dems
Twitter updates: Follow showdown
Passion: Right-to-work bill stirs both sides
Poll: Public employee unions have support
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Need-to-know: key Q&As on today's

Statehouse exodus

What the blogs are saying about the

walkout from Indiana Democrats

Daniels: I won’t send state police to round

up Dems

Bloggers: What they're saying

IURC begins new hearings on $1.9B sale of

Indy utilities

Indiana union workers rally at Statehouse

to protest bills

House OKs 1st of 3 townships reform

measures

Reader survey: Are union limits needed?

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