Indiana looks to be heading for a legislative showdown over union collective bargaining rights in the vein of Wisconsin’s historic battle last year. Wednesday, Democratic state lawmakers refused to come to the floor and remained in special meetings in protest over a Republican sponsored bill that would remove collective bargaining rights for any employees that are forced to pay a fee for union representation. The bill, which Republicans have lauded as a job creator, is unconstitutional and unfair to employees according to Democratic lawmakers. Democrats will refuse to allow the bill to be voted upon, they say, until Republicans agree to have public hearings on the issue around the state.

In Wisconsin last year, state Democrats held up voting on an anti-union collective bargaining bill by fleeing to Illinois until Republicans took it off the 2011 legislative agenda. However, they were also criticized for holding up the rest of the state’s legislative work as well. This time around, Indiana Democrats simply want statewide public hearings on a bill that would eliminate bargaining rights between employers and employees in any business where the union required dues.

Republicans argue that the bill will encourage businesses to come to Indiana to do business, and will create jobs for thousands of unemployed Indiana residents. In addition, republicans feel the bill will give employees more choice in paying their union dues. However Democrats argue that unions will be forced to eliminate dues in order to retain the ability to negotiate with employers for their members benefits, which will essentially negate their capability to bargain anyway unless it was entirely volunteer. Thus they have asked Republicans to put off a vote until citizens around the state can weigh in. Until that time, Democrats will stay in closed door meetings, preventing the Republican controlled Indiana legislature from attaining quorum, which is needed to hold a vote on anything by state law.

Indiana Senate minority leader Pat Bauer said, in a press conference Wednesday, “It’s a filibuster until we can get the truth. For now, it’s about the bill.” In other words, Democrats will continue to prevent legislative business until publics all across the state of Indiana have had an opportunity to get the facts, speak with their representatives, and support or oppose it’s passage. The tactic was not successful in Wisconsin, where the Democrats tactic was much more aggressively partisan. Some are hopeful that Indiana, where Democrats are actively trying to engage state citizens on the issue by withholding their votes, may be able to sway public opinion enough to defeat another anti-union state law.