DENVER —Colorado workers and their employers have lived in relative peace under a deal struck more than 80 years ago that stopped years of violence over salary and working conditions.
Colorado Democrats want to unravel that deal, but one local policy influencer isn’t going to let it pass without a fight.
Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute*, has filed a ballot initiative that won’t only unravel Senate Bill 25-005, should it pass, but it would also make Colorado what’s called a “right-to-work” state, giving employees the right to refuse to join unions, and denying unions the ability to force non-union employees to still pay dues.
Currently 27 states in the U.S. have right to work laws.
SB 25-005, “Worker Protection Collective Bargaining,” would repeal the Colorado Labor Peace Act, which has been in effect since 1943, when business owners and striking workers found a compromise to often violent, and sometimes fatal, labor protests. The act guaranteed workers the right to unionize, collectively bargain and establish union dues — only after two separate votes to do so.
The first vote unionizes employees with a simple majority. The second vote, however, requires a supermajority vote of 75 percent of employees to allow “security agreements,” or in other words, force all workers — even that 25 percent that said no — to pay dues.
Now Democrats in Colorado’s legislature are wanting to unravel the Act, which thus far has survived recessions, wars, 15 presidents, 13 Colorado governors, as well as years of Democrat rule.
Rather than needing two separate votes (one a super majority) to unionize and collect dues, it would only take one vote of a simple majority.
The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Robert Rodriguez (D-Denver) and Sen. Jessie Danielson (D-Littleton) and in the House by Rep. Javier Mabrey (D-Denver) and Rep. Jennifer Bacon (D-Denver).
Caldara said for years his counterparts at other think tanks around the US have badgered him about not putting a right to work initiative on the ballot. But Caldara, who has successfully brought forth ballot initiatives that forced teacher union negotiations to be held in public, as well as twice lowering Colorado state income tax rate, has consistently said he wasn’t willing to mettle in an 80-year-old law that seemed to be working.
But when Democrats decided to push the button, Caldara decided now was the time, filing the initiative with Legislative Council on Monday. Caldara uses a Star Trek analogy, calling the fight one that rises to the level of the Starfleet and an “invasion of the neutral zone.”
“Colorado was the scene of violent strikes and violent reprisals,” Caldara said. “This law has been working just fine for eight decades. I wasn’t going to be the one to break the peace for the same reason Captain Kirk tries not to fly into the neutral zone and start a war with the Romulans.
Caldara said now that “progressives” have decided to “destroy the peace, then voters can decide.”
“We shouldn’t have to, but we have to give Coloradans the right of choice if they want to support organizations they disagree with,” Caldara said. “In the world of this cancel culture Coloradans don’t want to be forced to give money to organizations they don’t support.”
*Independence Institute is publisher of Complete Colorado.
