Making Our Voice Heard in Indiana

March 29, 2011

The hard work of AFSCME members in Indiana and their labor and community allies is starting to pay off.

The 39 House Democrats who left the state in protest over the hard right agenda being pushed by Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) have returned after a five-week legislative standoff. Thanks to the pressure kept by AFSCME activists and others during their absence, they return amid a vastly different legislative scenario.

Daniels and his allies in the state legislature have agreed to scrap the right to work for less bill that was one of the cornerstones of their anti-worker agenda. They have also backtracked on their attempt to pass a law making the state’s ban on collective bargaining for public service workers permanent. Daniels rescinded collective bargaining for 25,000 public employees on his second day of office in 2005.

Although the battle for workers’ dignity continues in Indiana, it is worth noting that none of these victories would have been possible without the relentless work of thousands of committed activists.

From organizing a highly successful food drive event to help those in need while raising awareness of the devastating consequences of Daniels’ budget cutbacks (see video) to numerous rallies across the state, they made sure to make the voices of thousands heard.