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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber of Commerce today applauded Gov. Jared Polis for issuing a veto of Senate Bill 5, which would have overhauled Colorado’s longstanding labor laws and made it easier for unions to require mandatory dues deductions on all employee paychecks. Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman released the following statement:
“Gov. Polis saw firsthand how the business community came to the table throughout the session, offering several proposals to labor groups in order to find balance on Senate Bill 5. Today’s veto is a recognition of the good faith effort and concessions we were willing to make to strike a compromise.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to find agreement with the unions, and we applaud the governor for standing with employees across Colorado who deserve a say in how they spend their hard-earned paychecks. Jobs and livelihoods should not be put at risk because a worker chooses not to support union officials who they do not feel represent them or may use their dues to support political causes they disagree with.
“SB 5 would have also threatened our statewide business climate at a time when we should be fostering a competitive economy. We want Colorado to be a top state where business leaders choose to invest and create jobs, and vetoing SB 5 preserves the unique labor laws that set us apart from other states.”
Earlier this week, the Chamber sent a veto request letter to the governor’s office in partnership with other business groups representing major industries and regions across the state. Attached to the letter are more than 1,000 signatures of both workers and business leaders across the state who opposed SB 5. The letter can be viewed here.
View the governor’s full veto letter here.
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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.