nobody is in the union now because what's the point of being in one when the state won't allow the unions to do what they do (represent, bargain and so forth) on your behalf? the problem is, both sides - the governor and the union - are both wrong. wrong for deliberately standing on opposite sides of the ideological divide. wrong for politicizing the subject of state employee collective bargaining (everyone else is lawfully entitled to it, why not them?) and on a side note, if sworn police personnel can be unionized (they are - and they're public employees, after all) why do they get to be, and the non-sworn public safety employees all have to bend over for the sake of the administration's accounting gimmicks? but let's give fair time to the other side too... the unions are supposed to be about defending the interests of labor. and one may ask, what makes unions think that only democrats stand for the interests of labor?? what was true 100 years ago is not the case today; democrats routinely vote in congress (or in the states) in a manner that is against the interests of organized labor. so why do the unions act as though the dems are the only party that can stand up for labor? or why dems act as though they are "at one with" the unions and vice-versa? i don't buy the old saw that republicans (conservatives) are for big business and therefore against labor - like i said, the last few decades dems have been voting for big business & against labor anyway! by hitching their wagon to the democrat party, organized labor makes an enemy out of republicans where no animosity needs to exist... except that the 'party line' that the unions have been teaching to the not-so-independent-thinkers among themselves stipulates that the democrats are the good guys, that socialistic neoliberalism is a-ok, and so forth. this guarantees an inter-generational democrat support base, which the republicans will oppose! so instead of getting the two parties to compete for their constituency, big labor embraces a party that screws the very 'little people' that they claim to support, and pisses off a party that could do something to strike a balance and create moderation & calm. they (unity team local 9212) knew going into the 2004 election that there was a good possibility that mitch daniels would win. 2004 was a very strong year for republicans because of the intervening events of 9/11 since the previous major election; the economy was even making a modest comeback. but instead of tact & moderation, the union shamelessly goaded daniels with their predictions of 'what he would do' if he were elected governor. so is it any wonder, after such treatment, that he would *make his very first act as governor* one which abolished union collective bargaining, in retaliation? the unions are their own worst enemy, but shame on mitch for allowing them to manipulate him! the funny thing is, as wrong as both sides are, they're also both right - at least when it comes to exposing the other side's shortcomings. and shame on mitch for dangling the 'bonus' in front of state employees, subject to the 'performance for pay' system that was instituted the day after the unions were abolished! dept. of correction officers were, almost to a man or woman, all subjected to some measure of disciplinary action (no matter how petty) so that the department could "save" the bonus money by not spending it! some bonus, thanks mitch!! (not.) and this corrupt tactic of denying raises & bonuses is how mitch & co. balanced the budget... on the backs of the hard-working and honest employees of the people of indiana. the ones that weren't unjustly fired, or driven away from the job through harassment and oppression by the managers & supervisors. the only thing i find more repellent than the politicians & their bs are the bureaucratic middle-managers and their lickspittle subservience toward doing what their bosses tell them!