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Unions mobilize against Amendment 49

Supporters want limits on public payroll deductions

By Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 29, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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State government writes $95 million worth of paychecks to about 70,000 workers each month.

What can and cannot be automatically deducted has long been the purview of Colorado governors. That would change under Amendment 49, a permanent rule for public payroll deductions.

Amendment 49, which would be added to the state constitution if voters approve on Nov. 4, would prohibit deductions for anything except taxes, insurance, garnishees, liens and charitable contributions.

It would apply to all public payrolls, including those of counties, cities and school districts. And it would reverse an executive order signed by Gov. Bill Ritter shortly after he took office in January 2007 that allows union dues to be automatically deducted from state paychecks.

Jon Caldara, author of Amendment 49 and president of the Golden-based Independence Institute, a free-market think tank, said the proposal is important because public payrolls should not be used to funnel money to special interest groups.

Opponents say it's aimed primarily at unions.

Supporters gathered about 126,000 signatures to place the proposal before voters, Caldara said. And it has already won the endorsement of such people as former Colorado Sen. Hank Brown.

In addition, several counties, including Larimer, have already adopted similar language.

"There were always a lot of questions about what could be deducted and what we would authorize," said John Gamlin, Larimer County's assistant director of human resources. "We wanted to have a limited number that were focused in this way, rather than simply doing things on an ad hoc basis."

Though Amendment 49 has already won broad-based support from governments, some politicos question the impact it will have on unions, particularly the new unions forming within state government.

"If you can't deduct dues from paychecks anymore, you're making people's choice to join a union moot," said political strategist Steve Welchert, who is not working for either campaign. "If I came to you and asked you to write a check each month, that's a burden. It would essentially kill the union."

That's also the view of Protect Colorado's Future, a pro-union campaign group that's raised several million dollars to defeat Amendment 49.

"What concerns us is the propaganda being circulated by Jon Caldara that this has something to do with clean government. It has nothing to do with clean government. It's about unions," said Jess Knox, director of Protect Colorado's Future.

Knox said his group expects to raise $10 million to $15 million to fight Amendment 49 and other initiatives believed to have a negative effect on unions. One, Amendment 47, would ban agreements requiring workers to pay for union representation.

Amendment 54 would prohibit sole-source contractors with state contracts and unions from contributing to political campaigns.

Joel Heinemann, a 42-year-old Littleton firefighter who appears in an anti-Amendment 49 TV commercial, said the measure "has to do with my paycheck and somebody else telling me what I can and can't have taken out of my paycheck. This would take that out of my control," he said.

Thousands of union workers across the state are mobilizing to fight the amendment.

"We've had a great response from people," Knox said. "They're like, if this is going to affect my firefighters, teachers and nurses, then I want to do something about it."

Responded Caldara, "Apparently, they haven't read the amendment. It doesn't take away their voices, and it has nothing to do with their jobs . . . We're just saying government is not going to be the funneling mechanism for them."

Last week, Caldara said he would pull Amendment 49 from the ballot if Gov. Ritter withdrew his executive order authorizing collective bargaining.

Ritter's spokesman described the gesture as "a stunt."

What Amendment 49 would do

Prohibit automatic deductions for special interest groups and unions from public payrolls, such as those for state and county government workers, as well as cities and special districts.

* Who is for it? Jon Caldara, president of the Golden-based Independence Institute, and former Colorado Sen. Hank Brown

* The money for it: $97,881, including in-kind contributions from the Independence Institute

* Who is against it? Protect Colorado's Future and a number of unions

* The money against it: $3.6 million

Comments

  • September 29, 2008

    8:30 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ObiWan writes:

    "If I came to you and asked you to write a check each month, that's a burden..."

    Hand me some more kleenex, I'm crying a river here. Gloom! Dispair! And AGONY on ME! (whoa!)

    ""What concerns us is the propaganda being circulated by Jon Caldara that this has something to do with clean government. It has nothing to do with clean government. It's about unions."...

    As a reminder, this is what Jess Knox did NOT say in a televised debate with Caldara because Knox said he would debate, then weaseled out at the last minute. If you are so worried about Caldara's "propaganda"....WHY DIDN"T YOU DEBATE?

    What concerns me, Jess, is that you are sending out propaganda fliers making this sound like if 49 is passed, then officers will have to worry about the quality of their bulletproof vests. THAT lie of yours is so offensive.

    How about this compromise? Caldara says 49 is about unions, as long as you come clean and say this is about union members' VACATION TIME and union bosses being able to keep their fat paychecks, and this is not about public safety like you sometimes falsely claim.

  • September 29, 2008

    9:59 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mayor_Quimby writes:

    Unions are against Amendment 49. That's all i need to know. A vote for 'yes' on the amendment will be coming from me.

  • September 29, 2008

    11:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    AmericanPatriot writes:

    If right-wing extremist John Caldara is for Amendment 49. That's all that I need to know, I'll make sure to vote against it.

  • October 13, 2008

    3:35 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    richardtmyers writes:

    Amendment 49 is the big government solution. This law would require that the state police local governments -- counties, cities, and towns -- to make sure that they don't grab for themselves the freedom to determine what employee deductions they will allow. Interesting that the Bush Administration is nationalizing banks and finance companies, and in Colorado, the freedoms cherished by local governments are being taken away. What's up with that?

    I'm voting no on Amendment 49.

    richard myers
    IBEW retired