Indiana poised for right-to-work era; protest planned
(AP) INDIANAPOLIS — State lawmakers were poised on Wednesday to pass legislation that would make Indiana the Rust Belt's first right-to-work state and prohibit labor contracts requiring workers to pay union representation fees.
As the streets of Indianapolis bustled with Super Bowl festivities, hundreds of union members gathered at the Statehouse to protest the legislation and planned a downtown rally that they hoped would point a national spotlight on what is happening in the state.
Indiana would be the first state in a decade to enact a right-to-work law prohibiting labor contracts that require workers to pay union representation fees. The Indiana victory is expected to embolden national right-to-work advocates, who have unsuccessfully pushed the measure in other states following a Republican sweep of statehouses in 2010. But few right-to-work states boast Indiana's union clout, borne of a long manufacturing legacy.
The Indiana Senate scheduled a Wednesday morning vote on the bill that, if passed, would be sent to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has said he will sign it as soon as it arrives on his desk.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57369398/ind-poised-for-right-to-work-era-protest-planned/