After weeks of holdouts, protests, and thousands of dollars in fines doled out, right-to-work legislation passed the Indiana House on Wednesday.
The arguments made on each side Wednesday were the arguments that have been made for the last year. The controversial bill bans union contracts requiring non-union employees pay fees for representation.
Carmel Republican Jerry Torr has worked on right-to-work legislation in the House since 2004. Speaking over the shouts of protesters on the House floor, he says passing right-to-work is about helping unemployed Hoosiers.
“And I’m convinced that if we become a Right to Work state, we’ll have more opportunities to bring employers to Indiana, which will provide more opportunity for those folks to go to work,” Torr says.
But Indianapolis Democrat John Bartlett says the push behind right-to-work is more politically-motivated.
“Yes, you do want to destroy the unions, but you will not get it done,” he says. “It will not happen.”
The bill passed 54 to 44, with five Republicans voting against it.
