Wall Street Journal (01/25/12) Jack Nicas

The Indiana General Assembly appears set to pass what would be the nation’s first right-to-work law in a decade. Rep. Patrick Bauer, the leader of the Indiana House Democrats, concedes that his party is losing its ability to block passage of the measure after House Republicans voted down Democrats’ amendment for a statewide referendum on the bill.

The proposed legislation would ban contracts that require all employees to pay union dues, whether or not they are union members. Supporters say a right-to-work law would lure businesses to Indiana, while opponents warn it would lead to lower wages. There are 22 right-to-work states, but most have low unionization rates. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and fellow Republicans in the Indiana legislature have sought to make their state the first right-to-work state in the heavily unionized upper Midwest, home to many of the nation’s manufacturing jobs.