A bill that would overturn major provisions of Colorado’s labor laws and allow a small minority of employees to force mandatory union dues on all workers at a company had its first committee hearing at the State Capitol on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 5 would eliminate the second vote dictated by the Labor Peace Act, which requires a 75% threshold for labor unions to compel all workers, regardless of whether they choose, to pay union dues as a condition of employment. The Colorado Chamber has been working extensively in partnership with other business groups to oppose the bill as written.
Testifying on behalf of the Colorado Chamber in the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee was President and CEO Loren Furman. Furman emphasized that the entire premise of the Labor Peace Act is to respect the choice of employees while still allowing a pathway for unions to collectively bargain and collect dues.
“According to a recent poll, 70% oppose the removal of the second election,” Furman said to the committee. “These are folks that live and work in your districts. These are folks that should not be ignored.”
Furman also pointed to the complicated nature of the proposal, and that business groups are open to discussing solutions to the current process for labor organizing, including structural or administrative changes.
“But we remain committed to respecting the employees’ choice,” she said.
SB 5 was one of the first bills out of the gate and has been quickly pushed through the process with its first hearing on only the eight day of session. This has given very little time for stakeholders to give feedback on the proposal and suggest potential amendments or reach compromises.
“It is our feeling that this hearing is premature, especially when we think that there is a lack of education as to who is included in this bill and who is not included in this bill. We don’t see the urgency of doing this bill today,” said Furman. “It makes complete sense to us to keep working on a solution, instead of creating a war in this building or at the ballot. We see no compelling reason to rush this bill through committee.”
Despite strong opposition testimony from both businesses and workers at the hearing, the bill passed through committee without amendments and will head to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Colorado Chamber will continue working with lawmakers, coalition partners and labor groups to explore potential solutions to current collective bargaining processes.
To contact your Senator in opposition to SB 5, please use the Chamber’s grassroots tool here.