In the Belly of the Bayh: Selling EFCA to the Hoosiers.

[billyoc]

EVANSVILLE — The special assistant to the president of the AFL-CIO came to Evansville Thursday to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act that he said "will stimulate the middle class by restoring the freedom of unions to bargain collectively."

Stewart Acuff led a brief rally at the Labor Temple before encouraging workers to write Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, urging him to support the legislation.

Acuff, 54, said the measure was first proposed in 2003 where it passed the House, but failed to earn Senate approval.

"We knew it would take time and education to build awareness and support. We wanted to be prepared when the time was right."

Acuff said the chances of the bill passing this year are "excellent."

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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/may/14/free-choice-act-touted-by-visiting-afl-cio/


No other state has seen union density decline further from 1964 to 2005 than Indiana. In 1964, 40.9% of Hoosier workers were affiliated with a labor union, with Indiana have the 3rd highest union density in the country. (11% higher than the national average)

By 2005 the proportion of Hoosier workers affiliated with a labor union had fallen to 12.5%, the same as the national average. In 2005, 19 states had higher union densities than Indiana. No other state has fallen so far so fast.



In the nation as a whole union density has fallen 16.8% since 1964. In Indiana, union density has fallen 28.4% in the same period. Few states come even close to this.

Looking at the 10 states that has seen the greatest decline in union density since 1964, Indiana leads by a strong margin. The only other state that even comes close is Montana. In the context of the 2006 elections, this suddenly gains a lot of meaning. The post war social contract has long been broken, and increasingly working Americans, working Hoosiers, are looking for political leaders who will do something to restore balance.

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http://blueindiana.net/diary/142/