Governor Mitch Daniels signed a new right to work law in February.  And the right to work battle has since moved on to other states.  The combination of those two facts produced a giant rally in Champaign, Illinois last night.

Thousands of union workers rallied, marched, and then gathered outside a Republican dinner to protest the appearance by Daniels chanting, “Go home Mitch Daniels!”

“We’ve gotta stand united,” said Perry Stabler.  “We’ve gotta stop this.”  “This” is the right to work bill that is now law in Indiana.  “They’ve tried to push it in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, all over the country,” says Jeff Harris of the Indiana AFL-CIO, “and each of those places workers are standing up fighting back.”

It’s a repeat of the protests we saw in downtown Indianapolis during the right to work battle here in January and February.  Indiana Democrats fled to a Champaign hotel in 2011 in a successful effort to stop the legislation last year.  Those Democrats got support then from some of the Illinois union workers who are protesting now.

Daniels addressed the controversy in his speech.  “I was really tempted to go out and have a few words and talk to them,” he said, “and if I had, or if I’d bumped into ‘em I would’ve told ‘em this:  Hey, you’re worried for nothing.”

An Indiana labor leader was there to address the Illinois crowd with a different message.  The unions are not giving up.  This year there will be 55 candidates on the ballot for seats in the state legislature who have backgrounds in organized labor. That’s more than ever before.

The AFL-CIO is conducting candidate training and hoping to pursue a repeal of right to work in 2013.

Union workers flooded the Statehouse halls today to object to what they see as an attempt to reduce their influence.  It’s the right-to-work legislation that says that no one can be forced to join a union in order to get or keep a job.

Today’s show of force was organized in just 24 hours after GOP leaders identified right-to-work as their top priority.  That means the issue that prompted a five week walkout by Democrats earlier this year will come up early in the session that resumes in January.

Speaker Brian Bosma made no direct mention of right-to-work in a speech to the House but everyone knew what he was talking about.  “We need to do whatever’s necessary to attract more employers to our state,” said Bosma, “and have the difficult discussions that will result, and get us there.”

Jim Robinson of the United Steelworkers Union still believes the bill can be stopped. How? “Persuasion,” he says.  “I think if you make the case reasonable people will agree with it.”

Nancy Guyott of the AFL-CIO says a union strategy for the 2012 session is not yet decided.  “But,” she says, “we’re certainly encouraging members to reach out both here and in the districts to their elected officials and let them know how this impacts them.”

Look for the first right to work hearing to take place in early January.

The Indiana AFL-CIO elected Nancy Guyott as its new president.

Guyott is the first woman to lead the organization and the youngest president in almost 50 years.  She is 41.  She replace Ken Zeller who is retiring.

Guyott is a Harvard grad and a lawyer who once served as state Labor Commissioner.

How much does the AFL-CIO oppose the current version of health care reform?

Enough that it has purchased a two week run of television commercials in Indiana to voice its objections.  Indiana President Ken Zeller says taxing health care benefits, as the Senate bill does, is the wrong way to do reform.  The ad urges Senator Evan Bayh and Senator Richard Lugar to pass reform but don’t tax benefits.

The ad is a national ad.  See it Here:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/12/07/fix-health-care-rightdont-tax-benefits/

Name Identification or Name Recognition, if you prefer, is a precious commodity for any politician.  That’s why MItch Daniels created the My Man Mitch label five years ago.

So, is it a problem if Congressman Mark Souder is called “Mike” in attack mailers from the Democrats?

I know its a problem when an AFL-CIO operative calls me about an event featuring Lt. Governor candidate Dennie Oxley and calls him “Dennis.”  That’s not his name.