INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- An Indiana Senate committee Monday approved a so-called right-to-work bill, and Gov. Mitch Daniels said he will sign it as soon it the legislature enacts it.
With three Senate Democrats boycotting to protest the speed with which the measure was moving toward passage, GOP lawmakers approved it 6-1, setting the stage for the bill to move to the full Senate -- and likely to Daniels -- Wednesday, The Indianapolis Star reported.
The legislation would prohibit companies and unions from negotiating a contract that requires non-union members to pay fees for representation that unions are required to provide all members of a bargaining unit.
Republican Sen. Brent Waltz cast the only vote against the measure in the Labor and Pensions Committee, saying "right-to-work is wrong for Indiana" and the measure could cost the state jobs.
Unions and most Democrats assert the measure will lead to "freeloaders" and reduce wages for union and non-union members.
Daniels, along with most Republicans and businesses, says the legislation will add jobs in the state and enable employees to decide whether to provide financial support to a union.
Daniels, who has made passage of the legislation a priority in his final year as governor, has said some companies bypass Indiana as a possible location for a business because of the lack of the right-to-work law.
