Indiana

Right to What?

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

It’s no big secret that I am a fan of what’s known as “right to work” legislation.  I don’t believe anyone should be forced to join or pay for a union as a condition of their employment.  If they want to join willingly, then more power to them.  However, there is a time and place for everything, and when it comes to right-to-work legislation, now is not the time and the Statehouse is not the place.

The National Right to Work Committee is planning to spend $100,000 on print and broadcast ads attacking Governor Mitch Daniels and House Speaker Brian Bosma for not pushing a vote for right-to-work and for not getting tougher on Democrats.  I don’t know what plane of existence these people are on, but apparently it’s not the same one as those of us who follow this issue closely.

Despite what the Indiana House Democrats say publicly, right-to-work was the reason they fled to my home state of Illinois and have been hanging out there for the last 30+ days.  Once right-to-work was taken off the table they decided to change the rules and are now privately are looking for an exit strategy that will allow them to keep their political manhoods intact.

The Governor has already said bringing this up was a dumb idea and it should have never happened in the first place.  Senate Pro Tem David Long has made it clear that right-to-work will go to a summer study committee.  House Speaker Brian Bosma says the bill was for dead for all intent purposes when the committee report failed to be adopted.

By bringing this back up all the right-to-work advocates people are doing is giving Democrats another reason to play political games and stay away from Indianapolis.  Instead of pushing for right-to-work, how about pushing for the right to remain silent and keep your mouth shut.

It would do everybody a world of good.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on March 23, 2011 (boomark / email).