10,000 union members surround the Wisconsin Capitol. Rumblings in Indiana.

Two and half hours north of Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin is ground zero in the fight to save the rights of those who work in public service.

But just across the border in Hammond, Indiana there are rank-and-file teachers who are talking about defying a state ban on teacher strikes.

Teachers in Indiana are being  threatened with laws that could alter their rights to negotiate, revise teacher evaluation forms and increase the number of charter schools.

Rick Muir, president of the Indiana Teachers Federation, and Nate Schnellenberger, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said there are no statewide plans to walk out, but the suggestion is coming directly from teachers.

“It’s against the law in Indiana to strike and even if it wasn’t, we don’t think that’s an appropriate way to deal with the issues that are in front of us,” he said.

Muir said he has heard rumblings about a teacher walkout “but with the frustration level as high as it is and if teachers start defending what they believe in, it’s not out of the question. Nothing has been planned at this point.”

About 300 teachers showed up for the Hammond Teachers Federation monthly meeting Monday at the Hammond Area Career Center where the issue surfaced in a heated discussion about legislation affecting teachers.

Teachers are concerned about Senate Bill 575, which would repeal collective bargaining by allowing school boards to unilaterally adopt their own prior offer if teacher negotiators don’t agree to the board’s last offer before a contract expires. They are also concerned about legislation on teacher evaluation and licensing and the expansion of charter schools.

Hammond Teachers Federation President Patrick O’Rourke said some teachers want to take more radical action.

“We’ve had collective bargaining for teachers since 1972. Do people really think that after 40 years of bargaining that we would be willing to stop?” O’Rourke asked.

“There would be complete anarchy in labor relations,” he said.