| INDIANA STATE AFL-CIO |
Today the AFL-CIO released its annual report on the safety and health protections for America’s workers. Titled Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, found that 125 Hoosiers were killed in 2011 with a rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. It also found that Indiana ranks as the 32nd worst state for worker safety and because of the lack of staffing it would take the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 132 years to inspect each of the state’s workplaces just once. Read more >>> According to data released earlier today on the AFL-CIO’s Executive PayWatch website, the average Hoosier Chief Executive Officer made $4,117,965 in 2012 compared to the average worker who made $38,578. Read more >>> INDIANAPOLIS – In an effort to raise awareness about what’s at stake for Hoosiers in the pending “fiscal showdown” in Congress., today working families in Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis and South Bend took to the streets to spread the word. Series of hand painted yard signs were placed at high traffic intersections throughout the four communities this morning urging citizens to contact their U.S. representatives and Senators to tell them to vote to close tax loopholes for Wall Street and the richest 2 percent of Americans instead of cutting Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare for families. Dozens of volunteers also stood outside of busy breakfast spots and after work stops handing out informational leaflets. Following Governor Snyder’s signature of the so-called “Right to Work” law in Michigan last night, Indiana AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement this morning: “Sadly today the people of Michigan became the latest to fall victim to the lies, deception and false promises of so-called “right to work. As we witnessed in Indiana, the forces of corporate greed will stop at nothing to silence workers’ voices in order to drive down wages and increase their profits. The playbook is largely the same. Elect a governor, who promises not to support this divisive and unnecessary legislation, only to go back on his word. Secure a legislature dominated by one party. Bring in out of state interest groups to spend wheelbarrows of money on advertising to confuse the issue. And, finally, shut the public out of the legislative process by barring public input, ignoring independent research and even locking the doors of the Statehouse. Read more >>> This evening Hoosier working families in Merrillville, South Bend and Indianapolis held candlelight vigils to urge members of Indiana’s Congressional delegation to oppose cuts in benefits to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security and to end tax breaks for the richest 2 percent. A part of a national day of action organized by the AFL-CIO to focus public attention on the ongoing “fiscal cliff” negotiations in Washington, groups of concerned citizens gathered outside the Merrillville office of Congressman Pete Visclosky, Congressman Joe Donnelly’s South Bend office and Congressman Andre Carson’s office in Indianapolis from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to speak out about the real world impacts of the proposed cuts. Today the Indiana AFL-CIO, a statewide federation of labor unions representing more than 300,000 active workers, issued additional endorsements of candidates for the 2012 General Election. They include: Read more >>> You probably didn’t give it much thought when you flipped your light switch this morning. But when you turned on your light, you were depending on miners, railroad workers, and electricians. You might have stumbled into your kitchen to make a pot of coffee next, and depended on farmworkers, truckers, and production employees all before you really opened your eyes. We are connected through work and we all rely on each other. Teachers depend on electricians. Who count on steelworkers. Who need nurses and engineers. Who rely on researchers and bus drivers and flight attendants. Who depend on transportation and child care workers. Who need auto workers and traffic cops and firefighters. And so it goes. Read more >>>Click here to view Labor Day events, parades and festivals in your area. Indiana AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement in reaction to a procedural vote Congressman Mike Pence cast last week that blocked consideration of the Bring Jobs Home Act. The legislation sought to eliminate tax loopholes that reward American corporations that ship jobs overseas, replacing them with incentives for U.S. companies that move jobs and business operations to America from another country. Read more >>> As a part of their continuing advocacy of good-paying American jobs, today the Indiana AFL-CIO urged incumbent members of Congress as well as candidates for the office to publically support passage of the “Bring Home Jobs” Act. Currently under consideration in the U.S. House and Senate, the “Bring Jobs Home” Act will cut taxes for U.S. companies that move jobs and business operations to America from another country. The initiative also eliminates tax loopholes that reward companies that ship jobs overseas. Read more >>>INDIANAPOLIS — According to data released by the AFL-CIO today, CEOs of S&P 500 Index companies earned an average of $12.9 million in 2011 – a 14 percent raise. Hoosiers can see how their yearly salary stacks up next to Indiana CEOs’ annual pay using the newly designed Executive PayWatch, a searchable online databank that provides direct comparison of top CEO pay to average wages of workers including a nurse, teacher, firefighter and others. Read more >>>Brothers and Sisters, As we all know, Governor Daniels and Republicans in control of the Statehouse pulled out all the stops to ram the overwhelmingly unpopular "right to work" bill down our throats in the last legislaitve session. They tried to block us from getting into the Statehouse, prevented us from testifying at committee hearings and made up statistics and stories to support their false claims. Now, they've been caught in another lie. Read more >>> INDIANAPOLIS – The following is a statement from Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott regarding rumored protests of Super Bowl XLVI by organized labor. “Over the last several days we have been inundated with media inquiries regarding rumored actions at or surrounding the Indianapolis Super Bowl this weekend. For the record the Indiana State AFL-CIO does not plan nor condone any attempts to disrupt the Super Bowl. While we understand the anger and frustration of working Hoosiers’ over the disgraceful passage of the so-called, “right to work” bill the appropriate outlet will be at the ballot box, not the Super Bowl. Read more >>>INDIANAPOLIS – 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. Read more >>>The Indiana State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is disappointed by the action of some legislators this week who voted for a Bill that will only serve to lower the standard of living for the working class in this State. The irony surrounding Governor Daniels’ response to President Obama’s State of the Union Speech is seemingly endless. While the Governor seemed unaware of the problems the president addressed in his speech, it almost seemed as if Governor Daniels was talking about a completely different country, one with a completely different set of economic and social circumstances than the one we all actually live in. Read more >>> As Governor Mitch Daniels’ prepares to take the national spotlight and respond to the President’s State of the Union address, his image continues to be tarnished by his stubborn refusal to disclose the flood of money pouring into Indiana pushing the “right to work for less” bill. Read more >>> For yet another week Governor Mitch Daniels’ is going to flood the airwaves with television ads pushing his partisan “right to work for less” agenda but is still not disclosing where all of this money is coming from. Read more >>> Gov. Mitch Daniels launched his final State-of-the State address last week saying he sleeps well at night.“But if I ever do have trouble, I don’t have to count sheep,” he said. “I count all the states I’m glad I’m not the governor of.” Daniels boasted the state’s credit rating, at AAA, was better than the recently downgraded federal government’s, and he said Hoosiers pay the lowest property taxes in the nation. Hoosiers overwhelmingly support a public referendum on the controversial “right to work” legislation and are unhappy with the Indiana General Assembly’s rush to pass it, a new poll conducted by the Indiana AFL-CIO this weekend found. Among the survey’s finding were that only one-third of Indiana voters currently favor passage of so called “right to work” law, while 69 percent say that the Indiana General Assembly should slow down the process to allow more debate. The poll also found that an overwhelming 71 percent of respondents want to give voters—not the legislature—the final say on this controversial legislation. Read more >>>Back when the debate over mandatory union dues was about “open shop” vs. “closed shop,” interest was mainly limited to union workers and business owners. But how could anyone ignore or oppose a “right to work?” Make no mistake: Right to work is not about preserving an existing right of Hoosiers or extending a new one. Right to work is a movement to weaken labor unions by allowing workers to benefit from union negotiations without paying union dues. Making Indiana an open-shop state may or may not bring more jobs; with little doubt, it will result in lower wages. Indiana now finds itself at a great political crossroads, even as we pause to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our leaders are faced with a stark choice between the pursuit of economic justice and equality for all or taking the path toward growing inequality and unchecked corporate greed. Now more than ever, it is urgent that Hoosiers revisit Dr. King’s great cause – take up his banner and continue his march for justice. Read more >>> Workers from Oklahoma today came to Indiana to offer their personal experiences after their state adopted a “right to work” law. Since Oklahoma is the state to most recently pass such a law and having done so in the age of the global economy, it is the best real world example of how “right to work” laws negatively impact state economies, lower wages and eliminate jobs. For seven days, Governor Mitch Daniels has refused to publicly disclose who is funding the barrage of television ads being aired around the state promoting his partisan right to work for less agenda, and has been unable to verify any of the claims in those commercials. Here’s one we haven’t heard: The business community doesn’t need government telling its job creators what kinds of contracts they can negotiate with employees. Turn on your television today, and Gov. Mitch Daniels likely will tell you why Indiana needs a “right-to-work” law. An advertisement starring the governor is in heavy rotation across the state. Along with their shameful campaign to curb the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers in Wisconsin and Ohio last year, Republicans in statehouses around the country are taking aim at private sector unions. Read more >>> The CEO of ArcelorMittal USA believes right-to-work legislation is "a distraction" and has urged the Indiana Chamber of Commerce to stop pushing for the labor policy. In a letter to the state business association, Mike Rippey said unions aren't to blame for Indiana's 9 percent unemployment rate. The Indiana General Assembly would do the state a service by NOT bringing right–to–work legislation up for a vote. This is contrary to the position of the governor and the Republican leaders who see a political opportunity to stomp on unions that tend to support Democrats. Read more >>> As NFL players, we know our success on the field comes from working together as a team. We’re not just a team of football players—we’re also the fans at games and at home, the employees who work the concession stands and the kids who wear the jerseys of our favorite football heroes. NFL players know what it means to fight for workers’ rights, better pensions and health and safety in the workplace. Read more >>> Working families in Indiana call on Governor Mitch Daniels to disclose the secret donors behind his television commercial and to hold public hearings on “Right to Work for Less” across Indiana instead of ramming through this controversial bill in secret.
We just saw your TV spot, Mr. Governor. The one explaining your support for the right-to-work law in Indiana. We understand you're hesitant to push the group calling itself the Indiana Opportunity Fund to reveal who is putting up the money for the right-to-work message. We can guess who might have an interest in the aggressive, pro-business stance you outline in the spot - who would want a law that keeps workers from being compelled to pay union dues. But we don't know, and you're not saying. Forget for a moment the blatant assault on Hoosiers’ rights to free speech and assembly – just consider the practical considerations of restricting access to the Indiana Statehouse. It happens from time to time that when conservatives get put in charge of government, they take actions that fly in the face of conservative principle. Radio and television commercials will begin airing across the state today encouraging Hoosiers to contact their state legislators to urge them to oppose the “Right to Work for Less” law being proposed in the Indiana General Assembly. Indiana State Police Supt. Paul Whitesell crouched behind public safety in announcing the unprecedented restrictions. "Public safety is our primary concern as we work to facilitate the most possible accessibility to the state Capitol and the legislative process while ensuring, at the same time, the safest possible environment." What a farce. Read more >>>ov. Mitch Daniels' administration has found a surefire way to ensure the protest rallies organized by teachers won't be repeated in 2012 – he's placed occupancy limits on the Indiana Statehouse. In response to the Daniels’ administration announcement today that Hoosiers' access would be limited to the Statehouse beginning Jan. 1, 2012, Indiana AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement: With Indiana Republican leaders targeting right-to-work legislation as their top priority in 2012, we worry about the fate of other issues that should have long ago risen to the top of the heap. If Republicans can push through right to work, Indiana would join about half of the states—most in the West and South—that prohibit workers from being forced to join or otherwise support a union. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 is calling for Indiana Republican leaders who support right-to-work to show and prove claims that the state is missing job opportunities as a result of not having the law. Indiana’s Republican lawmakers have no holiday surprise in store for Hoosiers. Their very public wish list for 2012 is topped by a right-to-work bill, and the contentious debate ahead ensures it will be the defining issue for the upcoming session.
The top state economic-development agency can't provide documentation or statistics to back up Gov. Mitch Daniels' assertion that a fourth to half of companies don't give Indiana a shot at new business because it lacks a right-to-work law. Instead, this figure comes from impressions conveyed by site-selection consultants. Read more >>> Gov. Mitch Daniels and Republican legislative leaders say that with the unemployment rate continuing to hover at an unacceptably high 9 percent, we need "every tool available" to attract jobs. Thus, the Right to Work legislation has become the No. 1 issue heading into the 2012 General Assembly short session. Read more >>> “While everyone knew this announcement was coming, it’s still disappointing that on his way out the door, Governor Daniels would choose political paybacks over economic progress for the citizens of this state. Laws like these are designed to lower wages, reduce safety standards and weaken unions in an effort to increase corporate profit and power. And while they are billed as economic magic bullets, independent research and the experiences of the 22 states that already have similar laws tell a much different story. Read more >>>A new poll from Indiana House District 74 – a good barometer of a swing district – released today shows that Hoosiers in the Southwestern Indiana district oppose “right to work” legislation and want their State Representative, Sue Ellspermann, to focus on jobs and the economy instead of attacking working families. The poll, which sampled 205 registered voters in the district, finds that when voters are informed of Ellspermann’s support of “right to work “ laws her job approval falls and the issue makes her re-election more challenging. Read more >>>Just because you have the power to do something doesn't necessarily mean you should do it. Last year, even Gov. Mitch Daniels advised his party against trying to force legislation that would weaken collective bargaining through the Indiana General Assembly. Republicans in the legislature decided to try, anyway, and Democrats opted to decamp to Illinois. Though the GOP backed off of that bill, the disagreement morphed into a more general stalemate and lasted for almost six weeks, effectively shutting down the legislative session. Read more >>>It's so close in fact that supporters need to carefully consider whether the political fight that would be necessary to win the legislative battle is worth the cost. Those costs could include scuttling other priorities, such as a legislative vote on a mass transit system for Central Indiana, that will need bipartisan cooperation in the Statehouse this winter. Read more >>> The right-to-work legislation being considered in the Indiana Legislature should be carefully considered by all Indiana working families. The label makes it sound most appealing, but its consequences may be far different. Read more >>>A new poll released today shows that Hoosiers – including Republicans – reject partisan “right to work” legislation and believe their elected officials should focus on jobs and the economy instead of divisive attacks on working family’s collective bargaining rights. The poll, commissioned by the AFL-CIO, found that support among Hoosier voters for the controversial union busting bill is weak, with just 38 percent favoring its passage while 47 percent stand in opposition. The survey also finds that 67 percent of Hoosiers disagree with Statehouse Republicans decision to make “right to work” their top priority and wish they would move on to other issues. Read more >>>As families prepare for the holiday, a new report released today by the AFL-CIO shows that, 43,500 unemployed Hoosiers will lose their unemployment benefits on December 31st if Congress fails to act to extend unemployment insurance. A study paid for by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce detailing the positive economic effects of a right-to-work law mistakenly credits those effects to right-to-work, a University of Oregon political scientist says. Read more >>> Spearheaded by House Speaker Brian Bosma, Republicans in control of the Statehouse are again pushing for a so-called right-to-work bill aimed at weakening Indiana labor unions. So what if the same effort paralyzed our state government earlier this year, or that voters in neighboring Ohio just rejected a similar measure by an overwhelming majority? According to Hoosier Republican leaders, statistics show that the average unemployment rate for states with right-to-work laws is modestly lower than elsewhere. The average growth rate is also a bit higher. Why? Right-to-work legislation supposedly spurs investment and job creation. Bosma and his friends need a refresher course in basic statistics: Their numbers are deceptive. Read more >>> “On behalf of all working Hoosiers we congratulate New Hampshire on this big victory today. Their defeat of the so-called "right-to-work" bill is another indication of how little support there is for these politically motivated attacks on workers. Along with what’s occurred recently in Wisconsin and Ohio, this win in New Hampshire is another repudiation of politicians who put out-of-state corporate interests over the well being of their constituents. Read more >>> Popping across Indiana’s labor battleground are signs of times both present and past. “Hoosiers want lifelines, not bread lines,” they say. “We oppose punitive legislation.” “This law of suppression invites a depression.” We find it interesting that Republicans who control the Indiana Legislature plan to push for the passage of a right-to-work law during the upcoming short session of the assembly. Generally, legislators shun controversial issues during the year in which they have to run for re-election. House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem David Long announced last week that they will push right-to-life legislation in January because it will be good for job creation. Read more >>>In his zeal to sell Hoosiers on a right-to-work bill, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, appears to be playing fast and loose with the facts about job creation in Indiana. Several times this week, Bosma has proclaimed Indiana "the envy of the Midwest in our job-creation efforts," and said if Indiana enacted a right-to-work law it would "remove the last barriers to job creation" and "help the quarter of a million unemployed Hoosiers get back to work." Read more >>>When the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 4, the eyes of the nation may well be on Indiana. Not because the state remains the best in the nation when it comes to high school basketball, but because there will be an unwarrated attack upon organized labor. Read more >>>INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of union workers crowded the Statehouse hallways Tuesday waving signs and chanting as members of the Indiana House and Senate organized for their 2012 session. Maybe Democrats ought to introduce a right-to-shirk bill, applicable only to state government. The way it would work is, any taxpayer who did not care to pay for efforts undertaken on his behalf -- the salaries of the governor and legislators, say -- could simply opt out. If those public servants failed to make a strong enough case for voluntary contributions, they'd just have to go scratch. Read more >>> Today is Organization Day for the General Assembly, and lawmakers already are going astray. On Monday, the General Assembly’s Republican leaders announced making Indiana a right-to-work state will be their top priority for the 2012 session. Read more >>> In reaction to the announcement by Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate Pro Tem David Long that they would make passing the called “right to work” bill their top legislative priority in the 2012 legislative session, Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued following statement this morning: “It’s laughable that Republican leaders in the Statehouse actually have the gall to cite “freedom” in their renewed push for the so-called “right to work” law given that its already the law of the land that no one can be forced to join a union. In reality, this legislation isn’t about giving Hoosier workers and employers more freedom, it is about taking away existing freedoms and choices. Read more >>>It looks as if Indiana legislators will reintroduce a right-to-work law when it convenes for its short session on Jan. 4. This is the issue that sent Democrats running for the hinterlands in the last session and there could very well be a repeat of that. Right-to-work legislation is an anti-union measure that ensures that employees do not have to join a union or pay union dues. Nonunion employees, however, will reap the benefits of union-employer contracts, which normally mean higher wages and benefits. By letting employees stay out of the union, the reduced strength in numbers weakens a union’s ability to collectively bargain with employers. Read more >>>It is possible the ultra-conservative members of the Indiana Legislature will pay little or no attention to nationwide results of Tuesday’s election, though they should. After all, in last winter’s session of the General Assembly, they ignored pleas by fellow Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to avoid an agenda of conservative social issues. Read more >>> Hearing that Gov. Mitch Daniels got pink toenails during his knee surgery was funny; but a comment he made to a Hoosier newspaper isn't funny to millions of Hoosiers; including thousands of African-Americans. During this year's caustic legislative session, when Democrats were in exile in Illinois over the right-to-work issue, Daniels stood on the sidelines. Not anymore. Read more >>>Indiana Republicans seem determined to push ahead with a so-called "right-to-work" law in the next legislative session, but the experiences of a neighboring state may cause them to rethink their strategy. Earlier this week in Ohio, voters overwhelmingly repealed a new law that Republican Gov. John Kasich had championed to drastically reduce the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees. Indiana union leaders said right-to-work legislation, which would prohibit workers from being forced to join unions or pay fees, is equally anti-labor and could effectively eliminate collective bargaining. Read more >>>“Yesterday the citizens of Ohio resoundingly vetoed legislation that would have taken collective bargaining rights away from teachers, firefighters and first responders – sending another clear message that Americans have had enough of these radical attacks on working people.
The Indiana House opened its 2011 session last week with a fight over rules and procedures that was part theatrical, part strategic and part old-fashioned politics. Democrats demonstrated they still have a few tricks up their sleeves despite being outnumbered 60 to 40, and they will go all-out to stop a major anti-union push. On the surface, Wednesday’s dust-up was about whether bills should be subject to a first-reading vote. But the real issue was Democratic leader Pat Bauer’s intent to demonstrate his caucus’ adamant opposition to a proposed “right-to-work” law, one that would weaken unions by specifying that employees can join a unionized workforce without belonging to the union or paying dues. Read more >>>Indianapolis Star employees rallied outside their downtown office Wednesday to demand what they've covered countless times: better wages, no outsourcing of their jobs and lower executive pay. “The CEO made $9.5 million last year,” rally organizer and IndyStar reporter Bobby King said. “His salary doubled. Ours has been frozen for three years, for some people a lot longer. And we have people eating out of food pantries.” Read more >>>If you own a business and you don't want your employees to have to pay union dues, you might want to enlist in the fight by joining the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Just don't forget your membership dues. Read more >>>It appears the table is being set for another contentious session of the Indiana General Assembly. It doesn’t have to be that way. An interim study committee this week essentially said that it will revive “right-to-work” legislation. Read more >>>It’s back. Controversial “right to work” legislation that triggered a five-week walkout by House Democrats from this year’s session of the Indiana General Assembly will likely be back on the agenda when legislators reconvene in January. The vote Wednesday of a panel of state lawmakers assigned to study the issue over the summer left little doubt. The nine-member panel’s Republican majority voted 5-4 in favor of a report that calls for Indiana to adopt a “right to work” measure that would allow workers to opt out of paying union dues. Read more >>>A legislative committee tasked with exploring a controversial union law on Wednesday narrowly approved recommending right-to-work legislation to the full General Assembly in January. The vote came along party lines, with five Republicans in support and four Democrats opposed. Read more >>>INDIANAPOLIS – Following the Indiana General Assembly’s Interim Committee on Employment Issues decision to recommend that a falsely labeled “Right to Work” law be considered in 2012 legislative session, today Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement: Read more >>> The top 1 percent of earners more than doubled their share of the nation’s income over the last three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, in a new report likely to figure prominently in the escalating political fight over how to revive the economy, create jobs and lower the federal debt. In addition, the report said, government policy has become less redistributive since the late 1970s, doing less to reduce the concentration of income. Read more >>>Fifty percent of U.S. workers earned less than $26,364 last year, reflecting a growing income gap between the nation's rich and poor, the government reported Thursday. There were fewer jobs, and overall pay was trending down -- except for the nation's wealthiest. The number of people making $1 million or more soared by over 18 percent from 2009, the Social Security Administration said, citing payroll data based on W-2 forms submitted by employers to the Internal Revenue Service Read more >>>As he drove down Interstate 65 to the state capital, the specter of windmill after windmill provided the inspiration for a new jobs bill State Rep. Chuck Moseley said Tuesday he will introduce next year. Called the Hoosier Heritage Innovative Industry Loan Fund, it would provide tax incentives for companies that build wind turbines to locate in Indiana, providing they use American steel. The job-creation potential of clean-energy investments is being muted as a result of attacks on working people and the middle class, supporters of the labor movement said at a Tuesday rally. Politicians and local union leaders called for spending state and federal dollars to help create jobs and vowed to rebuff attempts to erode the strength of unions from legislation such as right-to-work. The BlueGreen Alliance, an advocacy partnership between labor unions and environmental groups, organized the event. Read more >>>More than 150 union members and supporters rallied on New Albany, Ind.’s, riverfront Tuesday, calling on Congress to quickly enact a jobs bill to put Americans back to work. “Millions of unemployed men and women eager to work can’t find it,” Nancy Guyott, president of the Indiana AFL-CIO, told the cheering audience, with the closed Sherman Minton Bridge as her backdrop. A small but vocal crowd gathered Saturday at Tolleston Park to rally for jobs not budget cuts as part of the American Dream Movement. Waving signs and chanting, the group of about 50, including representatives from at least four area unions, called for Congress to turn its attention back to the 99 percent -- the working class and poor — and away from the 1 percent, the rich and corporations. Indiana does not need to become the nation's 23rd "right-to-work" state. We already provide a very business-friendly atmosphere, from lower taxes, the elimination of the inventory tax and the reduction of corporate taxes. Read more >>> FORT WAYNE – Christeen Rusher used to deliver mail to the downtown Federal Building. On Tuesday, she dropped off a petition signed by about 500 people to a congressional office there. “We just want him to co-sponsor the bill. That’s all,” Rusher said about Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd. She and U.S. Postal Service workers nationwide participated in rallies Tuesday to support House Resolution 1351, which would let the self-funded agency tap $50 billion in pension overpayments to satisfy a congressional mandate to pre-fund 75 years’ worth of employee health care benefits in 10 years. Read more >>>WASHINGTON — In a grim sign of the enduring nature of the economic slump, household income declined more in the two years after the recession ended than it did during the recession itself, new research has found. Between June 2009, when the recession officially ended, and June 2011, inflation-adjusted median household income fell 6.7 percent, to $49,909, according to a study by two former Census Bureau officials. During the recession — from December 2007 to June 2009 — household income fell 3.2 percent. Read more >>>INDIANA AFL-CIO ENDORSES “OCCUPY” EVENTS ACROSS STATE INDIANAPOLIS – Today Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement of support to the various “Occupy” events taking place throughout the state this weekend and next week. Read more >>> Hundreds of union workers packed the Statehouse on Thursday to vent their displeasure with a proposed right-to-work law. The crowd wasn't as big or as rowdy as the ones that took over the Statehouse during the regular legislative session, but protestors got their point across that they believe the bill would reduce the power of unions and would lower wages, 6News' Norman Cox reported. Read more >>>INDIANAPOLIS | Union workers from Northwest Indiana and across the state packed the Statehouse on Thursday to remind lawmakers they oppose making Indiana the nation's 23rd right-to-work state. More than 500 people, some holding signs reading "right-to-work is a lie," stood outside the Senate chamber as dozens of Hoosiers spoke to a General Assembly committee studying the labor issue that was partially responsible for the state's longest legislative walkout earlier this year. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Union members packed an Indiana Statehouse hearing Thursday in their uphill fight against "right-to-work" legislation that sparked a five-week walkout by House Democrats earlier this year. Members of the General Assembly's Interim Study Committee on Employment spent most of the day listening to supporters and opponents of the measure, which would prohibit workers from being required to pay union representation fees. Read more >>>CROWN POINT | Postal workers carried signs and called on passers-by to honk in support of keeping post offices open, postal services in operation and their jobs intact during a rally on the downtown square. "I want my neighborhood post office. I want my six-day deliveries," said Ruth Needleman, professor and director of Working Class Studies at Calumet College of St. Joseph. MUNCIE -- More than 100 postal workers, their relatives and Democratic candidates barricaded Charles Street on Tuesday in front of U.S. Rep. Mike Pence's office during a rally to "Save America's Postal Service." Read more >>> Postal workers urged lawmakers in Indianapolis and across the country Tuesday to save their jobs in the face of proposed cuts that would slash 100,000 workers, reduce hours and close offices. In rallies at local congressional offices, members of three postal unions called for the passage of a bill intended to restore billions of dollars each year to the U.S. Postal Service's budget. In Indianapolis, union members gathered outside the offices of Reps. Andre Carson, D-Ind., and Dan Burton, R-Ind., to lobby for the bill, which they say would protect jobs. Read more >>>By KEN KUSMER, Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Nearly 1 in 6 people lived in poverty last year in Indiana — the highest rate in nearly three decades — according to census figures released Tuesday, prompting an advocate for needy families to say the state is faring worse in the current economic downturn that its budget surplus suggests. The Census Bureau estimated that 16.3 percent of Indiana residents, or 1.35 million people, lived in households earning less than the poverty level, compared with 15.1 percent nationally. The poverty level is a sliding scale based on income and household size, but the rate for a family of four is $22,350. Read more >>> It seems that a fairly substantial issue gets approved during the final days of each session of the General Assembly. And it often happens quietly, with virtually no debate. And it is likely that those who disapprove of the 11th-hour legislation didn’t have a clue that it was in a bill. Such was the case at the end of the 2010 session of the Legislature when an omnibus alcoholic beverage bill included a provision that clerks must check the ID of anyone purchasing carryout liquor. INDIANAPOLIS -- As a battle over labor unions looms at the Statehouse, some are pushing lawmakers to do away with the Project Labor Agreements that govern many large building projects. A PLA is a deal between the builder, usually a government agency and local contracting organizations that generally requires paying union wages and benefits and abiding by other union conditions in return for a guarantee of labor peace and on-time completion. Representatives from each side of Indiana’s right-to-work debate say they are ready to argue their stands on the issue that sparked the Democrats’ walkout at the Statehouse earlier this year. Local union representatives say they expect the debate to reemerge in the Indiana Legislature next year. And when it does, union members will be ready to return to the Capitol to protest, they said. TERRE HAUTE — It wasn’t just the weather that seemed a little cooler Labor Day 2011. Thousands packed the streets of Terre Haute for the annual Labor Day celebration, with more than 20 Wabash Valley unions participating. But amid the festivities, a chilling concern about the economy was palpable. Read more >>> TERRE HAUTE — The parade was done and marching bands gone as local union supporters promised to continue the fight. The banquet room inside Terre Haute’s Holiday Inn was full Monday evening as supporters of organized labor joined in the Wabash Valley Central Labor Council’s annual banquet. Despite a storied past, unions face a tough climate in Indiana, participants said, noting their presence is needed now more than ever. Read more >>>PRINCETON, Ind. — Tricia Green and her daughters usually march or ride with her mother and grandmother on a trailer in Southwestern Indiana's annual Labor Day parade, but they set up chairs on the street this year. "This time we decided we wanted to catch candy," explained Green. The 33-year-old mother of 2-year-old Dani and 4-year-old Alex lives in Indianapolis, now, but she grew up in Lynnville, Ind., the daughter of two generations of union coal miners. Read more >>> Brothers and Sisters, A public employees union has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Mitch Daniels and the state personnel director, challenging the constitutionality a law that bars any governor from granting collective bargaining rights to state workers. Feeding America undertook the Map the Meal Gap project, with the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and The Nielsen Company, to learn more about the face of hunger at the local community level. In August, 2011, with the support of the ConAgra Foods Foundation, child food insecurity data was added. Select your state from our interactive map below and start learning more about the residents struggling with hunger and the food banks that serve them. Read more >>> Nate Byrd was an experienced stage hand who routinely climbed up stage trusses for concerts to run spotlight. For the Sugarland concert, Saturday night, Nate climbed up the truss in the back right corner of the stage, just minutes before the wind blew in. The issue that drove Democratic House members from the Indiana Statehouse to Urbana, Ill., for a five-week walkout and sparked protests involving hundreds of union workers is back on the table, this time before an interim study committee. Now, apart from the heated rhetoric of a legislative session, is when Hoosiers should decide whether a “right to work” bill will add jobs or drive down wages. Read more >>> Proponents of an Indiana right-to-work law claim it will lure new businesses to the state, bringing thousands of jobs to be filled by currently unemployed Hoosiers. But a review of state unemployment data finds nearly half of right-to-work states have a higher unemployment rate than Indiana, and the most recent state to adopt right-to-work -- Oklahoma in 2001 -- since has lost many of its manufacturing jobs to Mexico and China. Read more >>> INDIANAPOLIS - As Congress approaches Tuesday's debt deadline, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says a vote could come this weekend. Meanwhile, Hoosiers have plenty to say about the debate. Angst is beginning to surface over the issue. An organized downtown demonstration gave a voice to those who feel they have something to lose. Read more >>> They represented the AFL-CIO and UAW among others. They says lawmakers on Capitol Hill are out of touch with everyday Hoosiers. They also say they want programs like Social Security and Medicare spared from cuts. Read more >>> Working families will join together TOMORROW MORNING at 10:30 a.m. outside of the offices of Senator Richard Lugar and Dan Coats in INDIANAPOLIS to encourage them to put the country before their political party and raise the debt ceiling. The Indiana General Assembly's Interim Committee on Employment, which will consider a so-called "Right to Work" law on Tuesday has been moved from Statehouse Room 233 to the Senate Chambers (3rd Floor). The start time remains the same, 9:00 a.m. On Tuesday, the Indiana General Assembly will resume their attacks on working people as they hold hearings on the possible implementation of a so-called “Right to Work” law and an all out ban on project labor agreements. Nicole Schmied said she and her staff have been stuffing a lot of coffee mugs lately with promotional materials.While clients and referrals mean cash for her Merrillville firm, Reese Inc., the prognosis for a short-term recovery in the construction industry is grim. A glut of available property and low appetite for new construction have dried up business for the company Schmied and her husband, Kyle, started in 2008. Their consulting firm installs energy-efficient residential and commercial exterior products. I couldn't help myself as I walked through the Target store in Glendale. The impulse to buy struck me when I spotted a painting of Chicago Cubs jerseys of various eras in the team's dubious history. As I stood in the aisle inspecting the artwork, I considered how nice it would look on my 4-month-old son's bedroom wall. Read more >>> Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Statehouse Thursday evening in opposition of several controversial new laws going into effect. Louise Cohoon was at home when her 80-year-old mother called in a panic from Terre Haute: The $97 monthly Medicaid payment she relied on to supplement her $600-a-month income had been cut without warning by a private company that had taken over the state's welfare system. INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mitch Daniels sits in his grand cave of a Renaissance Revival office and reviews Indiana’s economic fortunes, his self-effacing manner not entirely disguising satisfaction. The state’s pension funds are relatively healthy, the unemployment rate is dropping slowly and per capita income is ticking up, slowly. INDIANAPOLIS – A mistake in a bill meant to loosen construction wage requirements in Indiana will force all public works projects – regardless of the cost – to go through a process establishing wage rates. Working families in Indiana are thrilled to hear that Governor Daniels, Speaker Bosma, and Senate Leader Long have abandoned the falsely-labeled “right to work” bill. We agree with Governor Daniels’ position that the members of the Indiana General Assembly did not campaign on these issues and so bringing it up during this General Assembly was indeed “a mistake,” as Senator Long termed it. Today Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott issued the following statement responding the to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s “study” on the so-called right to work law. “BILL OF RIGHTS” FOR WORKING HOOSIERS PROPOSED INDIANAPOLIS – As the Indiana General Assembly prepares to convene tomorrow, Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott released the following statement today: |
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