{"id":24661,"date":"2024-11-27T19:41:15","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T02:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/polis-headed-for-another-showdown-with-democrats-over-union-issues\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:58:13","slug":"polis-headed-for-another-showdown-with-democrats-over-union-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/polis-headed-for-another-showdown-with-democrats-over-union-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Polis headed for another showdown with Democrats over union issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Union
Union workers listen to speaker during a news conference where Colorado labor leaders unveiled a union security bill that will be debated during Colorado's 2025 legislative session. The news conference was held on Tuesday at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Gov. Jared Polis is once again on a collision course with fellow Democrats in the state Legislature and the Colorado labor movement.<\/p>\n

The governor quickly pooh-poohed a piece of legislation unveiled earlier this month that unions say will be their priority when state lawmakers reconvene at the Capitol in January. The bill has the backing of top legislative Democrats, as well as the chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

The divide is likely to inflame tensions that flared when Polis vetoed three of the labor movement\u2019s bills passed during the 2024 legislative session. During a May protest on the steps of the Capitol, hundreds of demonstrators, flanked by some of the most prominent Democrats in the state, shouted \u201cShame on Polis!\u201d Some wore \u201cPolis failed workers\u201d T-shirts as they gathered under a banner that said \u201cGovernor Polis turned his back on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of next year\u2019s legislative session, unions are starting their pressure campaign on the governor early. And they are deploying their most influential supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud to be here with all these Democrats \u2013 our brothers and sisters in labor \u2013 to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is,\u201d Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib said during a Nov. 19 labor rally in the foyer outside Polis\u2019 office at the state Capitol.<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib speaks at a pro-union rally at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He was the closing speaker at the event, emphasizing a point made by other speakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where we get a chance to put up or shut up,\u201d state Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, said at the rally. \u201cWhich side are you on, Colorado Democrats? The power is completely in our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rally was held to unveil a bill that will be introduced during the legislative session that would make it easier for unions to organize in Colorado.<\/p>\n

The bill would eliminate a barrier before unions and employers can negotiate whether all employees should have to pay representation fees to the union, whether they are part of the union or not. That\u2019s known as union security. Right now, those union security negotiations can only happen after a vote of employees, and it requires as much as 75% of eligible workers\u2019 support to pass.<\/p>\n

That vote is in addition to the simple majority vote required to form a union in the first place. The requirement is unique to Colorado and is part of the Labor Peace Act, a 1943 state law.<\/p>\n

Union supporters say the second-vote requirement is an unfair burden for workers who want to collectively bargain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat 75% turnout is insane,\u201d Alejo R. Gonz\u00e1lez, political and community coordinator at Service Employees International Union Local 105 in Denver, told The Colorado Sun earlier this year. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get that many people to vote. \u2026 And a lot of companies won\u2019t start bargaining until that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Sun analysis found that about half of the second-vote elections since the late 1970s have failed.<\/p>\n

\u201cColorado\u2019s required second election is too much, and it\u2019s not right,\u201d Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez of Denver, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said at the Nov. 19 rally.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez said his bill rolling back the requirement will be introduced during the first week of Colorado\u2019s 2025 legislative session, which begins Jan. 9.<\/p>\n

Quick pushback from Polis and the business community<\/div>\n

The business community is already chafing at the proposed changes to Colorado\u2019s labor laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Labor Peace Act has been a cornerstone of Colorado\u2019s economic success for decades,\u201d J. J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, said in a written statement. \u201cTo unravel this proven compromise now, while our economy is still recovering, is reckless. This isn\u2019t just bad for businesses \u2013 it\u2019s bad for Coloradans. Forcing employees to pay into unions increases costs for workers already struggling to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel Ryley, vice president of economic competitiveness at the chamber, said the first question businesses looking to relocate to Colorado ask is about the state\u2019s so-called right-to-work status.<\/p>\n

In right-to-work states, employees never have to join a union or pay union fees as a condition of their employment. Colorado isn\u2019t a right-to-work state, but the second-vote barrier makes it more difficult for unions to require that employees pay for representation whether they are part of the union or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween 2018 and 2023, Colorado\u2019s average annual employment growth rate of 1.5% was more than three times that of non-right-to-work states,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cAt its core, the Labor Peace Act supports a thriving environment where businesses, employees and communities can succeed together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assuming the union security bill passes the Legislature, Polis will once again be caught between the wishes of his party and his free-market leanings. The governor expressed early skepticism of the measure in a statement released by his office.<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks to reporters during a news conference about his 2035 transportation plan in Denver on Tuesday. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Polis \u201cis leery of the need for a new bill to open the Labor Peace Act that serves the state and workers so well,\u201d said Shelby Wieman, a spokeswoman for the governor. She noted that Colorado\u2019s labor laws \u201cgo further than those of the 26 right-to-work states by not only protecting the right to organize, but also providing an avenue to strengthen unions through union-security agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny changes to the Labor Peace Act would need to find common ground with employers and businesses and labor, and the governor is deeply skeptical of this bill without a heavily negotiated, thoughtful and comprehensive process,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The 2024 bills Polis vetoed probably aren\u2019t coming back \u2013 at least not in the same form<\/div>\n

It\u2019s unclear which of the bills Polis vetoed this year may return in 2025. They were:<\/p>\n

House Bill 1008<\/a>, which would have created new wage theft protections for construction workers, making general contractors liable for wages owed by their subcontractors. Polis argued it would have let subcontractors off the hook for bad behavior, and increased the cost of construction by passing the financial burden on to general contractors.House Bill 1307<\/a>, which would have prohibited school districts from using federal money to hire HVAC contractors who aren\u2019t certified by the state Department of Labor and Employment. Polis said it would have made it harder for rural schools to apply for grants, noting in his veto letter that more than a dozen counties lack state-certified electrical or plumbing contractors in their area. He also told The Sun he would have signed it if lawmakers had agreed to provide waivers to schools that made good-faith efforts to meet the new standards.House Bill 1260<\/a>, which would have prohibited employers from disciplining workers who refuse to attend an employer-sponsored meeting that involves religious or political matters, with some exceptions. Polis said the bill was so broad it would have created a chilling effect on free speech and could have limited even businesses\u2019 basic operational functions and work meetings.<\/div>\n

House Bill 1307 was time-sensitive and tied to federal dollars. Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that companies cannot force workers to attend meetings where employers express their views on unionization, making House Bill 1260 less relevant.<\/p>\n

\"Dennis
Dennis Dougherty, who leads the Colorado AFL-CIO, speaks at a rally outside the state Capitol on Thursday, May 23, blasting Gov. Jared Polis for vetoing bills that were priorities for the labor movement. (Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Negotiations around bringing back House Bill 1008 in a way that could win Polis\u2019 approval are underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did meet with the governor and the governor\u2019s team over the summer. We talked about a few things \u2013 seeing where we could possibly work with the governor\u2019s team,\u201d said Mark Thompson, senior representative for the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters.<\/p>\n

Thompson said, however, that the two sides are \u201cnot on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis coming session, we\u2019re not going to push a contractor liability piece,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wage-theft bill is still coming, Thompson said. But it would only allow workers who are victims of wage theft to file larger claims with the state.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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