Thumbs down for Indiana and the "Right to Work"

I’ve never really cared for politics. I don’t really get wrapped up in the actions of the Indiana State house, nor do I follow federal decisions unless I happen to catch a snippet on the morning news.

Most of the time I figure that there isn’t much that I can do about the decisions being made, so I tend not to spend my time trying to figure out why Mitch Daniels or Obama do what they do.

But I’m sad to say that tomorrow Indiana will probably become labeled as a “Right to Work” state.

Although the title sounds good and I do believe that everyone should have the right to work, that isn’t exactly what is going to happen. At least that is how I am interpreting it.

Of all of the states in the U.S., 38 states have rejected “Right To Work” Legislation. There’s probably a good reason for that! The states that have enacted the law have turned out to be the highest in the nation as far as unemployment is concerned and tend to have lower wages, lower family income, higher rates for uninsured and higher poverty rates. Way to go Indiana… like we don’t have it bad enough already!

I’ve heard on the news that Mitch Daniels is pushing for the “Right to Work” because he believes it will create jobs and increase the economic well-being of the state. I’m not sure I follow this logic. To me, Indiana already has a choice for employees, particularly in the area of construction.

If businesses want to move into the area, they can hire union workers or they can hire non-union workers. Workers can choose whether or not they want to join the union or not. They can choose whether or not to pay union dues or not.

It seems to me that the “Right To Work” Legislation will only hurt Indiana workers and their families. And what frustrates me the most is that many Indiana families probably don’t even know that the vote is coming and that this will probably pass.

As I stated before, I typically have my head in the sand on political issues. But if this passes the Indiana House and Senate, several of my friends and family members will see a decrease in wages and more than likely safety. Union workers are promised good wages, good benefits, increased safety measures and the ability to retire respectably.

For Dan, Todd, my Uncle Tom and many other hard workers in this state, I hope that Indiana votes against the Right to Work Law.