Gov. Jared Polis vetoes pro-union bill backed by Democratic lawmakers

Gov Jared Polis made good Friday on his threat to veto a pro-union bill backed by every legislative Democrat and the state s labor organizations a move that s likely to deepen the governor s rift with key parts of the party s coalition and set up a ballot fight Polis office reported his rejection of Senate Bill on Friday afternoon days after it cleared the legislature In his veto letter the governor announced he was open to changing the state s Labor Peace Act if agreed to by both labor and business SB- would ve eliminated the second electoral process in union formation which is a unique provision of Colorado law that requires organized workers to pass another vote with a threshold before they can negotiate the collection of union dues with their employer Unfortunately while both sides moved their positions labor and business missed an opportunity this year to modernize this outdated law while providing lasting certainty to Colorado workers and businesses Polis wrote His office previously defended the Labor Peace Act as a law that serves the state and workers so well Polis veto comes as no surprise He d privately explained SB- supporters for months that he would reject the proposal unless the business society signed off on it and he reiterated that position to reporters last week after the bill passed In an interview with the Colorado Sun on Thursday Polis announced it would be politically suicide if I were to sign the bill given his earlier threats to veto it Talks to reconcile the differences between labor groups business leaders and Polis office broke down in the final days of the session earlier this month Business groups rejected Polis final compromise and labor leaders who d accepted that deal then rejected Polis attempt to inject his own priorities like cuts to restaurant workers pay and expansion of charter schools into the talks For months Democratic lawmakers and labor unions mounted a populace pressure campaign on Polis to sway him which included a letter signed by five former U S Labor secretaries urging him to sign the bill On Tuesday with the bill passed and a veto imminent supporters held a rally behind the governor s mansion in Denver It included a Polis impersonator in enormous basketball shoes a nod to the governor s casual footwear who introduced himself as Jerry Polis Jared Polis cooler cousin who cares about workers Unions have long opposed the second balloting as unnecessary governing body interference that effectively makes Colorado a diet version of a right-to-work state referring to states that prohibit requirements that workers join a union or pay dues They have argued that workers should be able to more easily negotiate their contracts But in the second poll Colorado s free market-friendly governor determined a business regulation that he liked He and business groups argued that the state s labor laws have worked effectively for decades and that workers should have maximum say in the collection of union dues from their paychecks Though Polis stressed in his letter that he aid unions his rejection of SB- puts him at odds with the Democratic lawmakers who control the legislature and it will worsen his relationship with labor groups who have accused Polis of going back on his promise to champion organized workers during his gubernatorial campaign A year ago Polis rejected other pro-union bills sparking a rally outside his office attended by a number of elected Democratic leaders Related Articles New Colorado law allows tire-chain help by vendors along highways Gov Jared Polis signs laws ordering universal soundness care scrutiny crisis abortion protections Colorado other states sue Trump over immigration-enforcement conditions on federal funds RTD must create -year plan face accountability committee under new law signed by Gov Jared Polis Legal advocate for workers renters announces run for Colorado attorney general Polis SB- veto is not the end of the debate Labor unions are likely to bring the bill back in Polis final year in office and then again if necessary when his successor takes office in They ve also begun gathering signatures for a ballot measure that would enshrine just cause protections in state law which would require employers to have a valid reason before they can fire someone That may be the first of multiple labor-backed ballot measures in Labor functionaries are eying the likely Not only is a midterm year during a Republican presidency but April statistics disclosed by the bipartisan Colorado Polling Institute discovered that labor unions had the highest total favorability ratings of any person or group in the state included in the survey including Polis who placed second Business groups meanwhile have not publicly indicated if they ll respond A libertarian activist Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute has proposed a right-to-work ballot initiative which is also approved for signature-gathering Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot