Indiana Democrats have slowed the Republican rush to pass a so-called "right to work" bill—a type of law of which Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining...We demand this fraud be stopped." But they haven't halted it. The bill is expected to come up for a vote this week. That's why Democrats are trying a new tactic and proposing an amendment to put the bill to a public vote in 2012.
In proposing that, they're bolstered by a new poll of 500 Indiana registered voters, conducted by Hart Research for the Indiana AFL-CIO, though, suggests that the delays Democrats achieved may still not be enough for Indiana voters. All the usual caveats about internal polls apply here, and certainly the labor federation would not be releasing this poll if the results were less favorable to their position. But the results are striking nonetheless. People don't know what this bill would do—45 percent say they know just a little, not much, or nothing about it—and 44 percent of them rightly suspect that Republicans are pushing this through for political motives, not to strengthen the economy. So they don't want it to be left up to Republicans:
Fifty-three percent of all voters want their legislator to vote for a public referendum so voters can make the decision, another 14 percent want their legislator to oppose it outright, and a mere 26 percent hope their legislator will vote to pass the bill. Solid majorities of independents (60 percent) and Democrats (61 percent) want their legislator to refer the issue to voters. Surprisingly, only a 42 percent minority of Republican voters want their legislator to pass “right to work,” while 47 percent want their representative either to put the issue to a public vote (42 percent) or oppose it outright (5 percent).
The poll also finds a 36 percent plurality opposed to the law while 33 percent favor it and 30 percent have no opinion. If it does come to a public vote, that 30 percent will obviously be the subject of massive campaigns on both sides. Already, of course, Gov. Mitch Daniels has gone on the air in an ad funded to the tune of $600,000 by secret donors, while the Indiana AFL-CIO has run its own ad.
The question is, are there enough Republicans in the legislature who aren't totally gung-ho on busting unions, but don't want to piss off their leadership by voting against the bill, to put Democrats over the top with the referendum amendment? This poll should give such Republicans something to think about. So will hearing from their constituents. If you live in Indiana, contact your representative and urge him or her to vote no on so-called right to work—they need to hear "no" now even if the most they'll do is vote to send the bill to the public to decide.