Colorado: Collective Bargaining Push Has Some Questioning the Cost
Colorado state employees earn about 25 percent more than their counterparts in neighboring states, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, and their average salary of $51,753 ranks ninth in the nation, 9 percent higher than the national average for state employees.
So why is Gov. Bill Ritter's office hosting a working group on "partnership legislation" that unions hope will include collective bargaining? The answer points to a vast philosophical chasm between pro-union Democrats and union- averse Republicans. Follow the money, as they say, and the answer also points to the fact that unions pay big bucks to get Democrats elected.
Unions and Democrats in favor of partnership legislation point out that their latest appeal is not just about collective bargaining, where union representatives lobby management for higher wages and benefits.
"Employee partnerships are not about money," said Evan Dreyer, Ritter's spokesman. "They're about partnering with employees to give them a greater voice in state government. . . . From a taxpayer's perspective, it's about better customer service."
