Republican gubernatorial hopeful Mike Pence is set to announce his running mate Monday while multiple sources point to Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry as a serious contender for lieutenant governor on the Democratic side.INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mitch Daniels expects the right-to-work bill to be on his desk by Wednesday and signed into law before the Super Bowl spotlight shines on Indianapolis.
The Senate announced Thursday it would expedite the process on the bill – and even come in an extra day to get it done.
With that issue out of the way, it clears a logjam of sorts that has occurred with House Democrats boycotting intermittently.
It also might reduce the likelihood of Super Bowl protests by union supporters.
“I’d be very surprised if anyone was either so selfish or so foolish as to try to harm that event,” Daniels said Thursday during an appearance at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne.
Daniels was at Concordia to discuss school-choice vouchers, but during his 15-minute media session, the topic frequently turned to right-to-work.
The governor said opponents of the bill have, “made up in noise what they lacked in numbers,” but said even if many show up to protest at the Super Bowl, the NFL is equipped to handle such eventualities.
Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, posted the bill for hearing at 9 a.m. Monday.
And he announced the Senate would come in Wednesday to vote on the bill – a day the chamber originally was supposed to have off.
“This schedule is not driven by principle or the will of the people, but by political fears that public outcry during the Super Bowl will embarrass those forcing this agenda on our state,” said Senate Democratic Leader Vi Simpson of Bloomington.
“This session has been a series of ‘say one thing, do another.’ They continue to say they aren’t fast-tracking ‘right-to-work,’ but then they make plans to hold a special committee hearing on Monday at 9 a.m. And now we’re holding session on (Wednesday) solely to get this bill to the governor before the Super Bowl.”
The governor said he believes opponents are unduly alarmed about things that won’t happen as a result of a right-to-work law.
“No one’s wages are going down,” he said. “Nobody’s going to lose any benefits. The right to organize is still exactly as it was.”
Right-to-work bars contracts between unions and employers requiring all employees covered by a contract to pay dues or representation fees.
Daniels also addressed a criticism that opponents have lobbed recently – that he flip-flopped on the right-to-work issue, a claim detractors backed up with a 2006 video of Daniels saying he had no intention of supporting such a law in Indiana.
Daniels said he keeps an open mind and watches facts on every issue. In this case, it was the bad economy and what he said were lost economic opportunities that made him change his mind.
“We were winning two-thirds of the shots that we got, but we were denied the chance to compete too often,” he said. “Finally I just came to the conclusion we couldn’t afford to drag this handicap around anymore.”
The half-dozen pro-labor protesters who gathered in the freezing rain outside the high school to greet Daniels disagreed, echoing points opponents have been making since the debate began.
Their numbers would be greater, they said, except many are in Indianapolis protesting there.
“They will not leave union people alone in this state,” said Cindi Archbold, a former General Electric employee who has been unable to find work. “We feel it (right-to-work) is a right to freeload.”
