GOSHEN — The consensus of the three local government officials at Saturday morning’s Third House meeting was that protesters of the right-to-work bill had the right to voice their opinions, but their methods of doing so were not right.
State Reps. David Wolkins and Wes Culver, along with state Sen. Carlin Yoder, were on hand Saturday morning at the Goshen Chamber of Commerce to update people on bills that are currently being discussed during the General Assembly. They also provided their perspectives on the chaos that ensued during this past week’s right-to-work vote.
The House voted 54-44 Wednesday to make Indiana the nation’s 23rd right-to-work state, but has yet to be voted on by the Senate. The bill would ban union contracts that include mandatory fees for representation.
The vote was not without is detractors, as protestors could be found en masse outside the state courthouse while discussion on the vote was taking place.
“Some of the rationale that I heard was absolutely ridiculous,” said Wolkins, who voted in favor of the bill. Wolkins said that he heard such far-fetched arguments from people that approving the bill would reduce the amount of healthcare available to people and ultimately lead to more abortions.
Wolkins compared the actions of protestors on that bill to another group of people that were outspoken against a bill that he was a proponent of — the cosmetology bill which would have ended licensing to hairdressers and other cosmetologists, which has since died. Wolkins said that he had to incur the wrath of several people in the cosmetology industry who oposed the bill, but the difference was that they were much more civil than the “mob scene” opposing the right-to-work bill.
“This is what democracy looks like,” Wolkins said about his meetings regarding the cosmetology bill.
The right-to-work bill has not been decided on by the senate, but those who are outspoken on the bill have already made their feelings known to Sen. Carlin Yoder, who found a group of eight to 10 protestors at his home Friday.
Yoder received a phone call from his wife while he was at a dentist appointment saying that there were visitors outside. He said that his family took it in stride and the protestors were generally harmless.
“It can be a little unsettling when you shut down people’s freedom of speech, but it is a little different when it is happening on your front lawn,” Yoder said.
Dee Bond of Goshen, expressed concerned that a group of protestors — whom she classified as nothing more than “bullies” — are painting the state in a bad light, especially at a time when all eyes across the country will be on Indianapolis during Super Bowl Week.
“I really hope this gets done before the Super Bowl,” Bond said. “If these people get too out of control, then this becomes a national issue.”
Local News
Related Photos
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Local legislators Carlin Yoder, David Wolkins and Wes Culver spoke at Third House in Goshen Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. THE GOSHEN NEWS
Lawmakers take issue with RTW protesters
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