So many lawmakers, workers and union members filled the rotunda that the gathering spilled into hallways and stairwells around it. Many were asked by police to wait outside in the freezing temperatures because there was no more room.

I was proud to stand up for workers and against House Bill 1507 and Senate Bill 1034, which are dubbed "paycheck protection" measures but are anything but.

Labor supporters made it clear that they see these bills as part of a bigger movement to take away workers’ rights and silence labor’s voice in Pennsylvania.

House Bill 1507 and Senate Bill 1034 would strip most public-sector unions of the ability to have members' dues deducted out of their paychecks and prevent workers from signing up for paycheck deductions to contribute to union political initiatives.