A Sneak Attack In The Dark of Night

Six minutes before the deadline for filing amendments to all bills this legislative session, Representative Cindy Noe (R-Indianapolis) introduced an amendment which would have turned Indiana into the 23rd Right to Work state. Debate on this amendment to change a statute which has stood unchallenged for fifty plus years in Indiana began at nearly eleven p.m. Reversal of this long-standing law in Indiana would have thrust our state backward to a day when workers had no collective voice in their workplaces or the statehouse, where workers earn substantially less money, work in harsher, more unsafe conditions, have less insurance, less public education, and more infant mortality.

The amendment was passionately debated, but was destined to fail. Its introduction and the vote was likely intended to attract campaign donations from large, out-of-state, anti-union corporations for the 2006 election cycle. As a movement, we need to be prepared to counter this influx of anti-union campaign funds with all of our energies – grassroots, get-out-the-vote, and funds of our own - this election cycle.

In the end, sixty-three percent of all Republicans voting on the amendment voted for this attack on working families. The amendment was defeated with the full support of the Democratic caucus and some fair-minded Republicans who joined in opposition to this attempt to turn back Indiana’s clock.

The vote record is below. Know how your representative voted on this strike at the heart of organized labor and the right of Hoosiers to work with dignity and democracy in their workplaces.

The following Indiana State Representatives voted against the workers of Indiana.

R Robert W. Behning
R Matt Bell
R Randy L. Borror
R William E. Bright
R Tim Brown
R Woody Burton
R Bill Davis
R Richard (Dick) Dodge
R Jeffrey K. Espich
R Ralph M. Foley
R William C. Friend
R David Nason Frizzell
R Eric A. Gutwein
R Timothy Harris
R Phillip D. Hinkle
R Robert A. Hoffman
R Dan Leonard
R L. Jack Lutz
R Luke Messer
R Tim Neese
R Cindy Noe
R Phyllis J. Pond
R Kathy Kreag Richardson
R Michael Allen Ripley
R William 'Bill' J. Ruppel
R Marlin Stutzman
R Jeffrey Thompson
R Gerald R. Torr
R P. Eric Turner
R Jacqueline Walorski Swihart
R David Alan Wolkins

The following Indiana State Representatives voted for the workers of Indiana:

D John C. Aguilera Jr
D Terri Jo Austin
D Dennis T. Avery
D Jeb Bardon
D B. Patrick Bauer
D Robert J. Bischoff
D Carlene Bottorff
D Charlie Brown
D Duane Cheney
D William C. Cochran
D William A. Crawford
D David L. 'Dave' Crooks
D John Day
D Jerry L. Denbo
D Mae Dickinson
D Chester F. Dobis
D Ryan Dvorak
D Craig R. Fry
D Benjamin (Ben) GiaQuinta
D Terry A. Goodin
D F. Dale Grubb
D Earl L. Harris
D George Philip Hoy
D Clyde Kersey
D Sheila Johnston Klinker
D Thomas S. Kromkowski
D Robert D. Kuzman
D Linda Lawson
D Edmund M. Mahern
D Carolene Mays
D Joe Micon
D David Orentlicher
D Dennie Oxley II
D Scott Pelath
D Phillip Pflum
D Matt Pierce
D Gregory W. Porter
D Scott Reske
D Paul J. Robertson
D Vernon G. Smith
D Dan Charles Stevenson
D Russell L. Stilwell
D Vanessa Summers
D Vern Tincher
D Dennis Tyler
D Trent Van Haaften
D Peggy Welch
R Ralph Donald Ayres
R Bruce Borders
R James Russell Buck
R Mary Kay Budak
R Lawrence Lee Buell
R Suzanne Crouch
R Cleo Duncan
R Eric Koch
R Don Lehe
R Richard W. McClain
R Michael B. Murphy
R Thomas E. Saunders
R John Smith
R Andy Thomas
R John Ulmer
R Matthew D. Whetstone
R Troy A. Woodruff
R David B. Yount

The following Indiana State Representative was excused from voting:

R Steven Heim

Note: Steve Heim is my own State Representative. I asked him how he would have voted had he had the chance. His response was as follows:

“As I mentioned to you before, I have not given the issue much thought since I don't sit on the labor committee or any other committee that deals with these types of issues. As with any issue, I am willing to listen to both sides before making a decision. Unfortunately, I was sick Tuesday and not present for any of the debate that took place, so I honestly can't tell you how I would have voted.

I can tell you that I prefer legislation implementing significant policy changes to go through the committee process rather than being enacted via second reading amendment on the floor of the House.”

I will attempt to help Representative Heim give the issue more thought.

The following Indiana State Representatives did not vote:

D Winfield C. Moses, Jr.
R Brian Bosma
R Robert Cherry