Colorado: Labor Issues May Find Ballot
The next showdown between Colorado's labor movement and various business interests may be decided by voters in November.
Conservatives have been collecting signatures for a "right-to-work" initiative that would outlaw arrangements requiring all employees to pay fees for union representation, whether they are members or not.
A coalition backed by labor organizations is behind two other recent proposals - one to restrict the ability of companies to fire workers and another targeting corporate fraud.
The three ballot proposals aim to alter Colorado's Constitution and promise to further politicize the labor environment in a state that's increasingly a battleground for labor issues, despite the lower-than-average percentage of residents who actually belong to unions.
"Colorado has long occupied a middle ground on labor issues, and recent efforts to change that balance are only stirring the pot," said William Berger, a Denver attorney who represents management in labor matters. "We shouldn't use the constitution to voice shifting political agendas."
Former Qwest employee Larry Ellingson, who signed on as one of the main proponents of the corporate liability measure, said, "I don't see how anybody can be opposed to holding people accountable."
But Denver-based business groups oppose the two measures being floated by the organized labor advocates. "They're just anathema to our notion of how business should operate in Colorado," said Dan Pilcher, a spokesman for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry.
Tamra Ward of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce described the labor-backed measures as "a direct assault on our business climate. It's critical we do everything possible to keep them from moving forward."
An attorney hired by the Denver chamber has been challenging the two labor-backed issues in the ballot-approval process. The opponents say the "just cause" measure eliminates the "at-will" system of employment that governs working in Colorado. The fraud initiative could be a bonanza for attorneys who could clog the courts with suits against business...click to continue.
