Colorado lawmakers took a major step toward making it dramatically easier for labor unions to organize. The state Senate agreed Thursday to repeal the law that requires two votes for a union to represent workers.
Democrats have made undoing the Labor Peace Act one of their priorities for this year鈥檚 legislative session. The unique law has framed labor negotiations in Colorado since World War II.
Colorado is the only state to require two organizational votes: one to form a union, and a second to collect mandatory fees for representing workers. Republicans say the law keeps the state competitive. Democrats say two votes is an unnecessary hurdle that discourages unionization.
鈥淭his is a relic of the past,鈥� said Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been referenced as this great, grand compromise, but really it鈥檚 not.鈥�
The vote on what Democrats have named the Worker Protection Act, , came after a grueling debate at the Colorado State Capitol. Republicans spent hours attempting to reduce the impact of repealing the Labor Peace Act, suggesting amendments that ranged from exempting agricultural workers and businesses with fewer than 100 employees to requiring unions to itemize how they spend the money they collect.
But GOP opposition was essential fundamental. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, argued changing the state鈥檚 labor laws will take away workers鈥� freedom of choice 鈥� and reshape the character of Colorado.
鈥淵ou pay the union dues whether you want to or not,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what a union state looks like. That鈥檚 what this bill wants to turn our state into.鈥�
Democrats say two elections is a high bar. Not only do unions have to win a majority to be recognized. They have to get support from three-quarters of workers to start collecting fees to represent them through paycheck deductions. All the while, businesses can pressure their workers to vote against unionization.
What鈥檚 more, times have changed, Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez said. The Colorado of the 1940s was more unequal, less tolerant and far less accommodating toward labor unions.
鈥淩eturning to the politics of 1943 鈥� or allowing their legacy to persist 鈥� would undermine decades of progress and hinder the state鈥檚 future,鈥� he said.
The Senate needs to act again to confirm Thursday鈥檚 vote, a largely procedural move. The state House of Representatives would also have to approve the Worker Protection Act before it could be sent to Gov. Jared Polis鈥� desk.
The governor鈥檚 signature is far from assured. Polis has said the Labor Peace Act has been good for the state, and he鈥檚 called labor and business groups to come together on a compromise. So far, that has not happened.
