What’s the No. 1 thing Indiana lawmakers could do this session to put more Hoosiers back to work and enhance the state’s economic climate? It’s a straightforward answer: Pass a right-to-work law.
We shared some general benefits of RTW on Friday and promised some Indiana-specific numbers today. Check out a few below and learn more via the following:
If Indiana had passed a right-to-work law in 1977, the impact by 2008 would have been nearly $3,000 more in per capita income — or almost $12,000 more for a family of four. Going forward, a right-to-work law passed this year would generate a projected $968 per person or $3,872 for a family of four by 2021.
Do Hoosier voters support right-to-work? By a 3-to-1 margin (69% to 23%) in a scientific poll of 800 registered voters. That support comes from Republicans, Independents, Democrats and across all demographics — age, income, gender, occupation. Despite a constant and inaccurate propaganda campaign for their bosses, even 44% of union members are supportive of RTW.
The bottom line: Pass RTW — and pass it now. Workers, families and the state of Indiana will be the beneficiaries.
$3000 is a lot of money?
When it’s $3,000 more for each person in the state, adding up to about $19 billion, I’d say it’s significant.
Typical Chamber of Commerce propoganda. CC is not the friend of the working man but is the pocket of big business.
Actually two-thirds of our member companies have fewer than 50 employees and all but 5% are categorized as small businesses. Your “propaganda” is, in this case, simply the facts.
Does this Right to Work Law prevent companys from picking and choosing who they want to work and preventing descriminating others on applications? I have been out of work since October 2007, I have several thousand applications and several thousand interviews were done, I’m a 50 year old Man who has experience in Computer Repair and Upgrade, Automative Systems Technician, Maintenance and Truck Driving. I’ve been turned down because of my AGE! No Company will hire experienced middle aged men, I would like to see a Law Created where these Businesses and Companies can’t descriminate and refuse experience middle aged people who want to work! I’m getting tired of them telling me they want someone younger who they can train! I was laid-off permanently in 2007, my company closed its doors and we were denied Unemployment benefits by the State of Indiana! Doing odd jobs as self employed and making about 1500 a year and living off your spouse that makes $30K a year and threatening to divorce me because I cant find a Job, it sucks! WE NEED HELP INDIANA!
KHalt is exactly right.
so tell me, where are the RTW states that are more economically prosperous than Indiana????? IS that 1977 dollars? or today’s dollars. Inflation is more than $3000 in 30 years. Isn’t RTW just a way to get rid of prevailing wage on government funded jobs? Non union contractors don’t bid prevailing wage jobs because they don’t want their employees to make more money than they would on another job. they might like it and ask for it again. Prevailing wage actually puts more money into the pockets of Indidana workers, and thus, more money into the the state revenue than RTW would. better get all of the information, oh, and are you Tom Schuman, a memeber of a C of C?????
The RTW states (15 of the 22) that had higher per-capita income in 2009 than Indiana: Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming. The seven that were lower (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah).
Unions generate short-term economic gains (higher salaries). The higher salaries eventually price those states out of the competition for new/expanding projects and limit the productivity of existing businesses. Long-term, the right-to-work states are the winners.
Higher wages? Lol. I have worked in texas,florida, and nevada and i make at least 10 dollars an hour more in indiana in all aspects of consruction. Right to work is right to work for less!!!!
The 22 states that have the right to work law also had the 22 lowest average pay scales. Does that seem like a coincidence? If Florida has a higher per-capita income than Indiana then why do workers there make extremely low wages? And why is unemployment so high in Florida?
How many of the registered voters who support it actually comprehended what the Right to Work law actually means. “Did ya hear that Joe-Bob? Theys passing a law that means we can work, it’s our right. Now pass me a Bud. “
Unions, when they were extensions of the guild systems and were responsible for the education of the apprentices, or were the bulwark against gross employee abuse, had a place. In today’s world market, they have been shown to kill U.S. businesses through their greed as per the recent GM plant closing in Indianapolis. When I read that the point of right to work is non-exploitation of the worker, I remember that they willingly steal the bread from their fellow employee’s families tables rather than take any kind of pay or benefit cut for full employment. Unions are no better than the corporate trash that they were supposed to protect us from. I deserve the right to work for whom I please at the wage I wish to negotiate, not capped by “shop rules”!
I wonder how Jim is going to feel about this after he negotiates his wage; then some younger guy comes along and negotiates for less? Unions do have have ther flaws and they do need to respond to economic conditions, but Jim’s wage and those of the people that do work in non-union enviroments are higher because of 120 year of unions. Read your history book. Go to FL,GA and Tennesee and check the wage scales. Anybody (CC) can write a sound bite article, but you have to look a little bit and check out their motive to find the real facts.
Tom, you did not answer my question, but dodged it. I asked, what RTW STATES are more prosperos than Indiana, of those 22 states, which ones have a budget that looks like ours in Indiana? The long term gain in Indiana is better for all of the people of the state.
Indiana is in a better state budget situation than nearly all others because our governor has the led the way in fiscal restraint while others continued to spend beyond their means.
Pass RTW, bring more jobs to the state and everyone in Indiana will benefit.
Unions came into existence not because workers thought it would be nice to have a club to pay dues to, but because of employer abuse. This so called right to work bill is just a union busting bill. Many employers want their power back to dictate, abuse and discriminate for their own greedy self interest. Just another pet project of our Gov.
they are not passing right to work bill.they are passing a no union can survive bills
STOP RIGHT TO WORK! Right to Work is misleading! Right to Work actually makes it legal for employees of Unions to not have to pay union dues (which is normally once a month, and you pay normally 3 hours worth of work) the union is exactly like a government within a business. They negotiate contracts with a business, to provide more benefits for employees. If the business doesn’t sign the contract, then the workers go on strike, showing that they won’t work until they get the benefits THEIR UNION NEGOTIATED! I am an actual Union proud worker. The union saved my job so many times. STOP RIGHT TO WORK.
Since the Chamber of Commerce is nothing more than a union, I will be expecting all of the Chamber benefits without paying Chamber dues.
Do Hoosier voters support right-to-work? By a 3-to-1 margin (69% to 23%) in a scientific poll of 800 registered voters.
If that is the case then put a referendum on the ballot for Hoosiers to vote on. Let the people decide. Not the so called “representatives” who really don’t listen to their constituents. They listen to those who would further their own self interests.