National labor unions picked up the tab to hide Democratic lawmakers when they fled Indiana rather than vote on legislation to curb the power of public sector workers, the state political website
Capitol & Washington reports.
Finance papers filed by the state’s Democratic party show nearly $140,000 flowed into their coffers as the politicians holed up in hotels in neighboring Illinois
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and the public workers’ union AFSCME both gave $50,000, with other unions contributing smaller amounts, the papers show.
This is despite earlier claims that a “groundswell of support” from middle class Indiana workers had resulted in thousands of dollars of small contributions.
The Dems fled across the Illinois border to Urbana on Feb. 22 to deny a quorum to Republicans who planned “right-to-work” legislation to curb union power. Their move came a week after Democratic Senators from Wisconsin tried the same tactic in a bid to stop Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation.
The “We Are Indiana” protest — which was slammed by the state’s Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels as “undemocratic.” — lasted for five weeks. The Democrats returned after receiving some concessions.
The bill from the three-star
Urbana Comfort Inn, where the 37 politicians stayed, came to $84,953.70, reports Surber.
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