Democrats in the Colorado legislature plan to reignite a labor policy fight with Gov. Jared Polis this year by trying again to pass a bill making it easier for unions to force all workers at a company to pay fees for collective bargaining representation — regardless of whether they are members of a union.
Polis vetoed the same measure in 2025.
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at kunc.org.
A forthcoming bill, once again dubbed the Worker Protection Act by supporters, would repeal a requirement that a union get the approval of at least 75% of workers at a company before they can negotiate with a business over union security.
Union security is the term for when workers are forced to pay fees for collective bargaining representation regardless of whether they are in their workplace’s union. Unions are required to bargain on behalf of all workers at a company, including nonmembers, which is why they feel it’s only fair that union security be imposed to cover the cost of things like lawyers and negotiating experts.
The rule is unique to Colorado and was created as part of the state’s Labor Peace Act more than 80 years ago.
The measure is a top priority for Colorado’s labor unions and some legislative Democrats ahead of the 2026 lawmaking term that begins Wednesday and runs through mid-May. Supporters argue the second election gives employers additional time to delay negotiations and pressure workers, making it harder to organize and weakening unions’ bargaining power.
“This law does not protect freedom. It protects corporate power. Repealing the second vote doesn’t force anyone to join our union. It simply puts workers on equal footing,” said Kylie Anderson, a Starbucks barista and union member. “If we believe in democracy, it has to apply at work.”
State Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat and one of the upcoming bill’s sponsors, spoke at a rally at the state Capitol on Thursday launching this year’s bill.
“When workers decide to form a union, that decision ought to be respected every single time,” said Gonzales, who is also running for U.S. Senate. “That second election does not protect workers. It gives corporate ownership more time to delay, intimidate and divide.”
Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, listens during a pro-union rally at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)Democrats took a stab at the policy during last year’s legislative session and worked for months to find a compromise between unions, business groups and the governor’s office. But the negotiations fell apart, and Democrats passed the bill as introduced — along party lines. Polis vetoed the bill in May.
In his veto statement, Polis said he supports changes to the state’s Labor Peace Act but that any revisions must meet a high bar for worker participation.
“I believe there must be a high threshold of worker participation and approval to allow for bargaining over mandatory wage deduction,” he said. “… The law can and should be amended to more fairly allow workers to choose union security.”
Polis told The Colorado Sun on Thursday that if the legislature sends him another bill eliminating the union security vote requirement that he will once again veto the measure.
“There’s nothing different, so I’m not quite sure why they’re doing it again,” Polis said.
The governor said he is open to reducing the 75% threshold — a proposal labor leaders rejected — and he would be willing to negotiate a similar compromise if asked.
The rift between Polis and legislative Democrats over labor goes beyond last year’s fight. He also faced backlash from Democrats when he vetoed several worker-protection bills in 2024.
Business groups applauded last year’s veto and say they remain opposed to the proposal.
“The Colorado Chamber’s priority is to preserve the balance in Colorado labor laws that keeps us competitive, respects employee autonomy, and attracts top businesses to the state,” Colorado Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Loren Furman said in a written statement. “The chamber has not been included in any discussions to collaborate or work through concerns we had from last year’s bill. We will oppose any legislation that runs counter to our priorities and threatens our business climate.”
The bill’s sponsors say they are open to restarting negotiations, but stopped short of agreeing to compromise further to appease business groups and the governor.
“Last year, we were willing to make big concessions to get something meaningful done, and we’re willing to pick up where we left off,” said Democratic state Rep. Javier Mabrey of Denver. “If the governor wants to show he’s on the side of workers, here’s another opportunity.”
Also, with Polis entering his last year in office, Mabrey said the bill’s sponsors are also looking ahead to the next governor. He didn’t call on gubernatorial candidates by name, but challenged them to follow through on their claims that they stand with Colorado workers by supporting the bill.
Neither leading Democratic candidate for governor — U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet nor Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser — have made that commitment.
Republicans, who are in an overwhelming minority in the legislature, have yet to take an official position on this year’s bill, but said they would oppose it if it remains the same as last year’s.
“If there has been no compromise between labor and businesses, we anticipate the bill will face similar opposition to that in 2025 and that Gov. Polis will veto it,” Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, said in a statement.
Every Republican lawmaker voted against last year’s bill.
Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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