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DENVER – Leaders in the Colorado business community today responded to the passage of Senate Bill 5 on third reading in the Senate. The bill would remove key provisions of the longstanding Labor Peace Act.
“Over the last few weeks, the Colorado Chamber and our coalition partners that represent several industries including health care services, building trades, restaurants, technology companies, local chambers of commerce, and other business organizations, came to the table to try and find compromise with labor groups to preserve worker choice in union negotiations,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman. “Unfortunately, our coalition’s reasonable proposals were rejected, and we will continue to oppose the bill as written to preserve Colorado’s economic competitiveness and protect worker paychecks.”
“Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) members value their employees and want to make sure they are provided ample opportunity to have a say before mandatory union dues start coming out of their paychecks,” said CCA president and CEO Tony Milo. “This bill takes away workers’ rights and stifles their voices.”
“For us, it’s simple: Colorado restaurants believe that their employees should have the right to decide whether or not to join a union and whether or not to have union dues deducted from their paychecks,” said Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association. “We are disappointed that the unions were unwilling to negotiate a compromise with us after the business community offered several meaningful attempts to strike a balance.”
“Associated General Contractors (AGC) continues to oppose SB25-005 Labor Peace Act because it removes the second employee vote – and would allow a small minority of employees to pursue mandatory deduction of union fees from all employees’ paychecks. That is not the Colorado way, and in a recent poll 70% of Colorado voters agreed – that mandatory deductions from employees checks should require a second vote from a majority of employees” said AGC Advocacy Director Michael Gifford.
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The Colorado Chamber of Commerce champions free enterprise, a healthy business environment and economic prosperity for all Coloradans. It is the only business association that works to improve the business climate for all sizes of business from a statewide, multi-industry perspective. What the Colorado Chamber accomplishes is good for all businesses, and that’s good for the state’s economy. It was created in 1965 based on the merger with the Colorado Manufacturers’ Association.
The Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) represents the infrastructure contractors who collectively build the majority of public works projects across Colorado. CCA members build roads, bridges, airports, water and wastewater systems, and more, bringing infrastructure to life for all Coloradoans.
The Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) is the champion for our state’s restaurant and hospitality community. Founded in 1933, the CRA protects, promotes, and serves a $28+ billion industry comprised of more than 13,400 eating and drinking establishments and more than 303,000 workers, representing 11% of the state’s workforce.
The AGC of Colorado is Colorado’s leading professional association for the state’s commercial building industry, representing over 600 firms. AGC/C provides benefits and business resources ranging from: networking opportunities in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and the Mountain Region; dynamic committees; innovative education programs; construction safety services including a CHASE Partnership Program with OSHA; advocacy at a local, state and national level and more. The membership of AGC/C is comprised of general contractors and specialty contractors (both union and non-union shops, public and privately owned; and, from very large to very small), suppliers and professional service providers.