The Colorado legislature passed a politically charged pro-union bill Friday, setting up a possible veto by Gov. Jared Polis after he rejected the same measure last year.
House Bill 26-1005, named the Worker Protection Act by supporters, is a top priority for legislative Democrats and the state’s labor unions, while Republicans and business groups, including the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, oppose the measure.
The measure would repeal an 80-year-old unionization rule unique to Colorado that mandates workers hold a second election before their union can operate fully, following a simple majority vote to unionize in the first place. In the second election, a three-quarter majority of a company’s workers must sign off in order to negotiate over union security. Under a union security agreement, every employee must contribute union fees regardless if they are a union member.
Supporters argue the second election makes it harder to organize and weakens unions’ bargaining power by giving employers additional time to delay negotiations and pressure workers.
“In Colorado, we have a very unique barrier that was designed to prevent people from joining unions,” bill sponsor state Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, said on the Senate floor Thursday.
The bill was approved by lawmakers along party lines. It now heads to Polis’ desk where it likely faces a veto, despite wide support from the governor’s own party.
Polis vetoed the same bill when the legislature passed it last year, and said earlier this year he would veto the 2026 version, too, unless lawmakers made major changes to it. The measure remains essentially unchanged.
“The Governor is frustrated and surprised that the same piece of legislation could come forward, recognizing last year’s outcome and that nothing has changed,” spokesperson for the governor, Shelby Wieman, said in a statement in January.
Polis repeatedly urged lawmakers and union advocates to compromise with business leaders on the policy, but the two sides were never able to come to an agreement.
There is one major difference this year from last year, however. Polis is now in his final year in office. If House Bill 1005 is vetoed, sponsors have said they plan to look ahead to the next governor to support the policy.
The rift between Polis and legislative Democrats over labor policy goes back years. In 2024, he also faced backlash for vetoing several worker-protection measures.
