Hoosier Gov. Pence Enthusiastic About Indiana’s Right to Work Act

When Governor Mike Pence became Indiana’s Chief Executive, former Governor Mitch Daniels and the state legislator had already enacted the state Right to Work law.  But, Governor Pence is one of the biggest supporters of Right to Work freedom and the tremendous positive  impact it is having for Hoosiers.

The Washington Examiner’s Sean Higgins discussed Right to Work with Governor Pence:

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence did not sign his state’s new right-to-work law. That was done by his predecessor and fellow Republican, Mitch Daniels, in 2012.

But the current governor is an enthusiastic supporter, arguing that there is already evidence that it is acting as a jobs magnet for the Hoosier State.

Pence:  I’ve long believed that no one should be required to join the union as a condition to their employment. …

I believe that assertion of personal liberty and personal choice is the reason why it was supported in our state — all the economic benefits notwithstanding — I think that’s probably the greatest value, just preserving a personal choice of individuals in the workplace.

Pence: Indiana is a right-to-work state and we operate as such. I believe it was a reform in favor of economic freedom that was not only historic — Indiana was the first industrialized state in the Midwest to recognize the right to work — but it’s clearly had an impact in our economy since.

I’ll give you a couple of data points. Since the passage of our right-to-work legislation, 120 companies have communicated with our economic development team that our enactment to right-to-work would factor into their decision-making.

Eighty-two of those projects have progressed to the pipeline stage and account for the potential of more than 9,000 projected new jobs and more than $2.9 billion in investments.

Of the 82, 64 companies have already accepted. The state’s incentive offer is accounting for more than 7,900 projected new jobs. So, we think it had an undeniably positive impact on Indiana’s competitiveness.

Examiner: You think those changes are directly attributable to the law, not to anything else, not to the change in the economy otherwise?

Pence: Well, the group that I was talking about specifically said that the fact that Indiana became a right-to-work state was a factor in their decision-making but obviously, we’re a low-tax state, too.

It’s definitely worth reading the Washington Examiner’s full interview with Indiana Governor Mike Pence about his opinions on Right to Work.