Colorado – State Workers Win Bargaining Rights

Denver, Colorado

Some 32,000 state workers now have a voice on key issues such as safety, staffing and working conditions, as the result of an Executive Order signed by Gov. Bill Ritter (D).

The order creates partnerships through negotiations, allowing employees to have a greater say in pay and benefits decisions and to work more closely with management on running state government. It also establishes the means for state workers to vote for exclusive union representation for the first time.

“It’s a long overdue recognition of our contributions as front-line employees,” says B.J. Maestas, a certified therapy assistant II working at the Pueblo Regional Center. She is a member of Local 123 (Council 76).

The initiative is the culmination of a joint effort between the governor and Colorado WINS (Workers for Innovation and New Solutions), a coalition formed by AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers and the Service Employees International Union. The organization’s goal is to strengthen the voice of all state employees and protect the vital public services they provide.

In addition to creating partnerships, The Executive Order — which is unique to Colorado — creates provisions for resolving workplace conflicts, and will help address critical issues such as staff attrition.

Turnover for state jobs — averaging 11 percent annually — costs millions of dollars each year. In certain agencies such as prisons, the attrition hikes to 17 percent a year. Formal cooperation between management and employees will help attract and retain a qualified workforce and improve the lives of the state’s public workers.