Ten thousand demonstrated against anti-worker legislation in Indianapolis today, the same number as yesterday, packing the statehouse and cheering when the Indiana House of Representatives was once again unable to achieve a quorum.

Demonstrators were elated that the Democrats have pledged to stay away, and dropped “Hall of Fame” banners from a third floor balcony to honor them. On the other side of the hall, they unfurled a “Hall of Shame” banners listing anti-worker legislation under consideration.

Listed were a bill to limit teacher bargaining rights to pay and benefits only, and a bill to undermine construction worker pay by exempting many projects from prevailing wage laws, among others.

“I’m so happy the Democrats walked out and aren’t allowing this to go forward. Hopefully the Republicans realize the damage they’re trying to do,” said steelworker Herb Anderson, who traveled from Fort Wayne for the demonstrations.

The halls were filled with music and chanting from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesday, and again today. “It’s been exciting, thrilling to see so many different unions come together,” said Anderson, who works at B.F. Goodrich in Woodburn.

Amy Sutcliff, a postal worker from northern Indiana, said the cross-union interaction was great, and she was learning a lot from talking to people in other unions. “You see steelworkers talking to electricians, sharing ideals, talking about what works for them,” she said.

Anderson and Sutcliff were among 120 who signed up to testify Monday against a right-to-work bill. But the committee leadership cut off debate after three hours and sent the bill to the full House, leaving 93 people yet to speak.

“They said, 'we have to do this fast,'” Anderson said. The workers from northern Indiana had braved bad weather and icy road conditions to get to the statehouse. They were incensed that their voices were not heard.

The next day, Democratic legislators left for Urbana, Illinois, leaving the House without a quorum. The right-to-work bill hit a deadline and was declared dead. But today HouseRepublicans tried to change the rules to extend the time the bill could be considered. It’s unclear whether the rules change is valid without a quorum. Legislators don’t expect to take more action until Monday.

Workers intend to protest through the weekend, with union bus trips planned from northern Indiana tomorrow despite an expected 6 to 10 inches of snow.

“At this point it’s up to the Republicans to come to their senses,” Anderson said.

In a bizarre twist, on Wednesday Indiana’s attorney general fired Jeff Cox, a deputy attorney general, for tweeting that police should “use live ammunition” to clear protesters out of the Wisconsin statehouse. The identity of the tweet’s author was discovered by a Mother Jones magazine reporter, Adam Weinstein, who then engaged in a Twitter-based dialog with Cox in which Cox told Weinstein, “You're damned right I advocate deadly force.”

As in Madison, the protests in Indianapolis have been civil and friendly, if loud, with schoolchildren taking field-trip tours of the Capitol in the middle of the demonstrations.