JOINT RELEASE: SIGNED! Landmark Bill to Expand Collective Bargaining Rights to 36,000 County Public Service Workers
Building upon the 2020 state workers bill, the Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act more than doubles the number of public workers with recognized collective bargaining rights
PUEBLO, CO – Governor Polis today signed landmark legislation sponsored by House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, and Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, to support workers by extending collective bargaining rights to an estimated 36,000 county public service employees, a historic step forward in Colorado’s labor and workers rights movement.
SB22-230 builds upon the state workers bill from 2020 to extend similar collective bargaining rights to county workers. The Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act gives public service workers who choose to form a union a seat at the table to collectively bargain on issues like working conditions, job safety, pay and benefits, and to collaborate with management to address shared challenges like staff shortages, retention issues, and improving public services.
“This landmark law secures collective bargaining rights for tens of thousands of county workers who carried Colorado through the pandemic,” said Esgar. “These workers staff our public health departments, maintain our roads, and keep our communities safe, and they deserve the right to join together to improve their workplaces and negotiate for better pay and benefits. This new law allows county workers to unionize if they choose to so that they can have a seat at the table to discuss decisions that not only impact their livelihood but the safety of the communities they serve.”
“County workers kept Colorado running through some extremely difficult years of pandemic disruptions and health and safety hazards, and they deserve to be able to form a union if they so choose,” said Fenberg. “I am proud to have championed this new law that will give tens of thousands of unsung heroes the right to organize and negotiate for fair and safe workplaces - the same rights that nearly every private sector and state worker already enjoy. This historic legislation will help improve lives and communities across our state, and I am pleased to see it get signed into law.”
“Across Colorado, tens of thousands of county workers perform hazardous jobs and provide the critical services that keep communities running safely and smoothly,” said Moreno. “These public servants deserve a seat at the table to negotiate their employment, just like private sector and state employees currently do. By granting Colorado’s 36,000 county workers the right to choose to form a union, Colorado is taking the next step on the path to ensuring collective bargaining rights for every Coloradan.”
Right now, only four out of Colorado’s 64 counties recognize public service workers’ right to collectively bargain. The Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act guarantees Colorado statutory county workers in counties with populations over 7,500 the ability to organize and form a union to advocate for safer workplaces and better public services, if they so choose.
Additionally, the Collective Bargaining by County Employees Act extends protections to workers who are currently vulnerable to retaliation, discrimination, and coercion for exercising basic union rights.