Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

House OKs bill friendly to unions

Issue targets union-shop vote

David Milstead, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 23, 2007 at midnight

Text size  

More More Business

More stories »

A pro-union bill passed the state House on Monday morning as Democrats put a Republican spin on the legislation.

"This is about freedom to contract," said sponsor Michael Garcia, D-Aurora. Management and a union "should be able to negotiate without the heavy hand of government. . . . That's the issue, freedom to contract."

House Bill 1072 strikes a part of Colorado labor law that mandates a special election to decide whether a "union shop" workplace, where all workers must either join the union or pay it for the costs of representation, should be on the table in labor negotiations. To pass, the special election needs the higher of 75 percent of the vote or more than 50 percent of eligible workers.

Opponents of the bill, including Republicans and the Metro Denver and state chambers of commerce, say the special election protects workers who may not want to choose between an all-union workplace and getting fired. They also said the move toward more union power will make Colorado less competitive.

Colorado is believed to be the only state that charts a middle ground between what are called "right-to-work" states, where union-shop arrangements are banned, and states where unions can freely negotiate those type of contracts.

Garcia called discussions of whether unions are good for Colorado's competitiveness "totally irrelevant. . . . If you're benefiting from the representation at the workplace, should you have to pay for it?" he said. "My answer is yes. There should be no free riding."

The bill passed 35 to 29, with three Democrats crossing over to oppose the bill. Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, was one. "I became convinced this really does not help Colorado become more competitive. . . . I did not feel this was a step we needed to take."

David Milstead is finance editor of the Rocky Mountain News. He can be reached at or 303-954-2648.