Face the State

Face The State Editorial

As Gov. Bill Ritter continues his efforts to make his coalition with Big Labor look reasonable, one Colorado union is showing just how out of touch with reality union bosses really are.

Labor union rally in LovelandBrave New Films/Flickr

On April Fool’s Day, newspapers across Colorado announced that the United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 7 had introduced five statewide ballot initiatives that if approved for the November ballot and passed by voters, would collectively and significantly raise the cost of hiring new workers. The announcement was, however, no joke.

On the heels of a multi-faceted ballot campaign in Colorado to protect workers from compulsory unionism, Manny Gonzales, a spokesman for the UFCW, said his union’s initiatives were in direct response to such efforts. “We saw that if right to work is something voters approve in November, eventually, inevitably, workers’ rights are going to suffer,” Gonzales told the Denver Post.

At a time when the U.S. economy continues to shed thousands of low-skilled jobs each quarter, the timing of the Local 7’s proposal is extremely questionable. One of the initiatives would require employers to provide health insurance. Another would mandate that employers give workers annual cost-of-living increases. These short-sighted efforts would raise costs for ordinary employers striving to make payroll on Fridays. The net result: Fewer jobs in Colorado.

But the union has an answer for that as well. A third initiative filed Monday would deny tax breaks and other incentives otherwise available to companies that relocate jobs outside of the state. This punitive sanction for leaving Colorado, however, is followed by a fourth initiative that would punish businesses who commit to staying here. These businesses would be required to pay more in property taxes. And finally, a fifth initiative would allow workers opportunities to sue their employers outside those already provided under Colorado’s workers' compensation structure.

In Colorado today, less than 10 percent of all private sector workers are unionized. Still, with Ritter in power, union bosses hold an disproportional amount of influence. In November, Ritter's executive order to push unionism on state employees through “employee partnerships,” caused a much deserved political firestorm, with his backroom dealings earning him comparisons to fabled mobster Jimmy Hoffa.

Face The State has played a significant role in uncovering the stories behind the Governor's sidling-up with union bosses. An FTS open-records request revealed plans to institute a collective-bargaining regime for state employees a month before he did so. And last month, our reporter was wrongly barred from state property on orders of union officials. With Ritter's silence - a sign of tacit approval - we hold little hope for reform on the part of organized labor.

Current state law requires that 75 percent of employees to support unionization for a private workplace to become unionized. In such workplaces, unions retain an incredible amount of power—including the opportunity to deny a person a job if he or she refuses to join the union or pay union fees.

Unions once had an important place in American society. As their power, including the UFCW Local 7, continues to fade by the minute, it is clear that they will do everything they can to hold onto every ounce of strength possible. After giving millions of dollars to Ritter’s 2006 gubernatorial bid, Colorado’s labor coalition continues to seek paybacks for such support.

This November, we hope voters will get their chance to have a say on what the role of unions should be in our state. In this era of economic uncertainty, we have little doubt that Colorado’s families will join us in sending this resounding message to unions: Now is not the time for more bureaucracy and higher employment costs.