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Businesses join against four initiatives

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 22, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Coloradans for Responsible Reform, backed by the Denver Metro Chamber and Defend Our Economy, a group made up largely of service, retail and tourism businesses, said Friday they have joined forces to fight four proposed amendments this fall. The merged name is Coloradans for Responsible Reform, which seeks to defeat:

* An initiative requiring employers with 20 or more workers to shoulder 80 percent of health care coverage.

* An initiative that allows injured employees to sue for additional damages after they have been reimbursed for lost wages and medical costs.

* An initiative that requires employers to provide full-time workers with a reason for being fired and allows firings only for specific reasons such as incompetence or economic circumstances.

* An initiative that holds executives criminally liable for wrongdoing at their companies if they know about it but don't report it.

Comments

  • August 23, 2008

    10:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BrianSchwartz writes:

    When employers are forced to buy insurance for their employees, they pass on that cost to the employees by lowering their wages. Unless, of course, the minimum wage forbids that. These low-wage workers lose their jobs.

    Unions generally back employer mandates (like the one in Colorado). Surely their members have a high enough wage such that their jobs will not be in jeopardy. No, the employer mandate jeopardizes the jobs of women, the poor, and minorities. For details on this, see here:

    http://www.patientpowernow.org/2008/0...

  • August 23, 2008

    11 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jacka writes:

    This all from the same "business group" that opposes Right-to-Work!

    If this Denver Chamber and the Denver EDC won't back the Governor's Right-to-Work policy for all Coloradans then they are for a Union controlled and dominated Colorado.

    The Denver Chamber/EDC is backing Union politics, slowing education reform and driving up business costs ... it is a sick and twisted.

    Net: The Denver Chamber/EDC is Anti-Colorado, Anti-Competition, Anti-Choice and well Anti-Business.

    p.s. the Denver Chamber won't back Sole Source Contracting Bans and Paycheck Protection because they are in the pockets of Big Labor.

  • August 23, 2008

    4:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmannino writes:

    jacka,

    I agree with the sentiment of your comments but not the details. The Denver Chamber of Commerce is involved in an unholy alliance (perhaps conspiracy is a better word) involving select businesses, labor, and Democrat politicians. The businesses receive favorable contracts. In return, they must pay outrageous compensation to unions and fund political campaigns especially campaigns for bond levies. The taxpayer is left without an advocate.

    It is not that labor controls the Denver Chamber. Rather it is the conspiracy arranged by Democrat politicians that make them allies. The increased costs of labor unions are just a cost of obtaining bloated contracts. I agree that this conspiracy is immoral.

    The Denver Chamber has found a new way to exclude competitors. We desperately need tools to control the conspiracy among labor, select businesses, and Democrat politicians.