Labor Torn On Super Bowl Protests - Indiana's Right-to-Work Bill Irks Unions, but Some Hesitate to Make Big Game a Political Football Labor activists aren't sure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) February 1, 2012 -- Labor activists aren't sure whether protesting around America's biggest sporting event—its worldwide TV audience is expected to top 100 million—would generate sympathy or fuel anger that could damage their cause.

"Union workers built that stadium, they should have the right to demonstrate in front of it," said Perry Stabler, a retired steelworker as he demonstrated inside the Indiana statehouse.

Nearby, union boilermaker Pete Etoler drew a line between protesting politicians and disrupting the highest-profile event in the Hoosier State's history. "I think it will hurt our cause," he said. "We're trying to build up Indiana and bring businesses here. That won't help."

At issue is a bill that would ban contracts that require all employees to pay union dues, making Indiana the 23rd right-to-work state in the U.S. Republicans say the bill will help attract employers to the state. Democrats say it will hurt unions and suppress wages. After a fight that started last year, Republicans in the Indiana House last week overcame Democratic efforts to block the bill. Indiana's Senate is moving quickly to pass it, too, aiming to send it to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to sign as soon as Wednesday.

"There have been threats about the Super Bowl getting disrupted and I don't think we should give them that opportunity," said Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, a Republican. Passing the bill quickly will "make it less emotional and passionate out there," he said.

Three blocks of downtown Indianapolis have been given over to a Super Bowl Village, complete with an 800-foot-long zip line and live-music stages. City officials said 200,000 funneled through downtown last weekend and the city expects the event to generate as much as $400 million for the area economy. An 800,000-square-foot exposition called "The NFL Experience" abuts the stadium and has drawn 100,000 people this past week.

"This is a great opportunity for the city to showcase itself in front of the world and we're confident everyone will be looking to put our best interests first," said Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Indianapolis's Republican mayor, Gregory Ballard.
Already, dozens of protesters have demonstrated at the Super Bowl Village, passing out literature on the right-to-work bill, according to police.

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