Indiana Dems To Return Home With Big Concessions From GOPers (Labor & Education WINS!)

Source: TPM

Evan McMorris-Santoro

Just about a month ago, dozens of Indiana state House Democrats fled to Illinois to shut down what they said was a Republican agenda that targeted workers rights and the public schools. Now they're set to return, having won several concessions from the GOP that will change the face of what Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) was hoping would be a signature session.

Rep. Patrick Bauer, leader of the state House Democrats, called the deal "not perfect" but said the deal shows the standoff -- which shut down the state legislature in Indiana for weeks -- paid off in the end.

"The principled stand by House Democrats forced concessions by the House Republicans that reflected the concerns expressed by so many people who came to the Statehouse in recent weeks," he told TPM in a statement. "Today we can announce compromises that are great steps forward for working Hoosiers."

Here are two big highlights from compromise, provided to TPM by a Democratic source:

• Labor: Republicans have agreed to scrap the controversial right-to-work law that led the Democrats to shut things down back on Feb. 22. Republicans have also pledged not to pass a law making the state's existing ban on collective bargaining for state workers, created by Daniels executive order, permanent.


Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/indiana-dems-to-return-home-with-big-concessions-from-gopers.php

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Education win further down in story at link.

And this from the AFL-CIO ALERT: Working families to gather at 3:30pm on East end of Ind. Statehouse to welcome House Dems & thank them for fighting for Hoosiers!


State Rep. Patrick Bauer (D-IN)

but do Indiana Dems trust them, I mean they say one thing and do another.

I would like to see the fine print on this agreement. I feel the Democratic state congress jumped the gun on this one.

or you're fired, you filthy dog of a wage slave.

coverage on the local news tonight. Even though I live in Illinois, and the Indiana legislators were holed up in Urbana, the story was largely ignored.

Of course, I often watch the Rockford, IL news. The WI state senators were there, and the Wisconsin story was very limited on the news here, too. Rockford is only about an hour from Madison, and as far as I am concerned, this qualified as a local and national story. We really do have to be the media.

.... the only reason it was pulled - so visibly - is because Mitch "Napoleon Combover" Daniels is getting set to run for the GOP 2012 nom and he doesn't wany any noise from the home state. 95% of Hoosiers are too stupid to realize they've been voting against their own interests for too, too long. I rue the day I moved here, man ... but won't move back to WI until Imperial Walker is gone. Blah.