Indiana union membership at lowest level in 24 years
Experts say that former Gov. Mitch Daniels' decision to end collective bargaining for state workers in 2005 contributed to the drop.
Experts say that former Gov. Mitch Daniels' decision to end collective bargaining for state workers in 2005 contributed to the drop.
Workers at southern Indiana's Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center are planning a protest of furloughs and pay freezes stemming from the automatic federal budget cuts.
The trailer-hitch manufacturer plans to close the 450-employee plant and move operations to Mexico. Union workers voted Friday to forego arbitration and accept a severance agreement that will pay the most senior employees $36,000.
Republicans sparked protests from teachers and union officials Tuesday by pushing legislation through a House committee that would bar Indiana schools from automatically deducting union dues from teacher paychecks, an issue that critics thought was off the table this year.
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra said Thursday that it far surpassed its $5 million goal for a fundraising campaign that helped lock in a long-term contract for the ISO's musicians. The campaign raised a total of $8.5 million.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra musicians are hoping they'll be able to move forward with a new five-year labor contract even though the ISO is still about $900,000 short of reaching an important $5 million fundraising target only a week before the deadline.
Union membership plummeted last year to the lowest level since the 1930s. In Indiana, where a new right-to-work law took effect last March, the state lost about 56,000 union members.
U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon in Hammond ruled that none of the union's arguments against the law could succeed in federal court, although a challenge could still be made in state courts.
As the controversial provision spreads to other states in the region, Indiana is likely to give more weight to its other selling points.
Indiana's chief justice is urging Democratic and Republican lawmakers to work out their own differences that still linger from two straight years of legislative walkouts.
The state's labor landscape changed, and the housing market improved. Indianapolis basked in the glow of a flawless Super Bowl, and big-name CEOs were shown the door. IBJ's reporters and editors recall the year's biggest stories.
Michigan lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to right-to-work legislation, dealing a devastating and once-unthinkable defeat to organized labor in a state that has been a cradle of the movement for generations.
More than 1,500 hourly workers in Indianapolis ratified new five-year contracts, the automotive supplier announced Thursday.
Union leaders say working conditions are improving at the Pilkington glass factory in Shelbyville, but an employee’s injury in October has led to another visit from state safety officials and possibly more fines.
The maker of Twinkies and Ding Dongs said late Tuesday that it failed to reach an agreement with its second-biggest union. As a result, Hostess plans to continue with a hearing on Wednesday in which a bankruptcy court judge will decide if the company can close its operations.
Hostess Brands Inc. will hold talks with its bakery workers’ union on Tuesday to explore the reasons for a strike that the maker of Twinkies and Wonder bread said will force it to liquidate.
Members of United Auto Workers Local 933 must vote in favor of the five-year collective bargaining agreements before they would go into effect.
Hostess Brands Inc. said Friday it will close all of its plants, leading to the loss of hundreds of jobs in Indiana and thousands more nationwide. The company employs 288 in Indianapolis.
Hostess Brands said it likely won't make an announcement until Friday morning on whether it will move to liquidate its business, after the company had set a Thursday deadline for striking employees to return to work.
The commercial transmission maker's existing contracts, which were set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, will remain in force until noon Nov. 21.