This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed — for the second year in a row — a bill that would have made it easier for unions to organize in Colorado.
House Bill 1005 would have abolished a requirement in the Colorado Labor Peace Act, a decades-old law unique to the state, that 75% of workers at a company sign off before unions can negotiate with businesses over union security. That’s after a majority of workers vote to unionize.
Union security is the term for when workers are forced to pay fees for collective bargaining representation — regardless of whether they are members of their workplace’s union.
Unions must bargain on behalf of all workers at a company, including nonmembers. That’s why unions feel it’s only fair that mandatory fees be imposed to cover the cost of things like lawyers and negotiating experts.
House Bill 1005 was identical to a measure Polis vetoed last year. The governor warned Democrats in the legislature this year that if they sent him the policy again he would reject it.
Lawmakers weren’t deterred, easily passing House Bill 1005 through the House and Senate and forcing the governor’s hand.
The governor also vetoed Senate Bill 147 on Friday. It would have required state departments that lobby on bills to disclose their agency’s posture toward legislation, just like any other lobbyist working at the Colorado Capitol. The bill would also have prohibited former statewide elected officials and members of the General Assembly from serving as a legislative liaison for a state office for two years after leaving the legislature.
Polis similarly warned the legislature he would veto Senate Bill 147 if it made it to his desk, calling it a “clear attempt to limit the governor’s office’s ability to meaningfully participate in the legislative process, and to curb the governor’s decision-making authority.”
The long game for the labor movement
Repealing the union security vote requirement has long been a priority for Colorado’s labor movement.
In 2007, when Democrats controlled the legislature by narrower margins, they passed a measure similar to House Bill 1005. But then-Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, vetoed the legislation. In his veto letter, Ritter wrote that he felt the proposal would ultimately hurt Colorado’s economy and make it harder to attract new businesses.
Polis told lawmakers he was open to reducing the 75% threshold, but not OK with eliminating the second vote for union security negotiations altogether.
Labor leaders and Democrats in the legislature brought House Bill 1005 this year, knowing it would be vetoed by Polis if it passed, to keep the issue on the forefront. Their hope is whoever replaces Polis as governor next year, almost certainly a Democrat, will be more sympathetic.
Neither U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet nor Attorney General Phil Weiser, the two Democrats running to replace Polis, have said they would eliminate the union security election.
The governor vetoed four bills Thursday. He has until June 12 to sign or veto measures passed during Colorado’s legislative session this year, which ended May 13. He can also let bills become law without his signature.
Colorado Sun reporter Brian Eason contributed to this report.
