On May 27, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a sweeping collective bargaining bill, one that would provide those rights to some 36,000 county workers throughout the state.
That law – made possible in part by the dogged persistence of AFSCME members – marked the fourth time in four years that public service workers have won a major expansion of collective bargaining rights.
Across the country, workers are asserting their power and driving a wave of organizing. The push for Colorado county workers to gain or expand a voice on the job came after major expansions of public sector collective bargaining in California, Virginia and Nevada, benefitting more than 100,000 workers.
Here are more details about each of those victories:
- 2022: A few years ago, workers in just two Colorado counties had the right to bargain collectively. This year, 36,000 county employees finally won a protected voice at work through landmark legislation passed by the state legislature.
- 2021: California child care providers ratified a historic first contract for 40,000 workers across the state. Nearly 20 years of organizing culminated in July 2021, when members of Child Care Providers United – a partnership between AFSCME and SEIU – overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. The contract included long-overdue pay raises for providers, investments in continuing education for a workforce made up mostly of women of color, investments to strengthen access to care for working parents and support for California’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
- 2020: In Virginia, workers for Arlington County and the city of Alexandria successfully lobbied to pass their first collective bargaining ordinances in more than 40 years. Previously, Virginia had been one of only three states that banned all forms of public sector bargaining. A statewide collective bargaining law passed in 2020 lifted the prohibition on collective bargaining on many local government employees throughout the commonwealth.
- 2019: Thousands of Nevada state employees won collective bargaining rights for the first time. It marked the largest expansion of those rights in any state in 16 years. With a seat at the table, AFSCME Local 4041 members began negotiations in 2020 over additional wage increases for four AFSCME-certified bargaining units. In 2021, Local 4041 members ratified their first contract, providing members with annual 3% wage increases, additional personal time off and defining other important job protections such as a grievance process.
Workers throughout the United States are discovering and embracing the union difference. They are organizing with energy and passion at companies like Amazon and Starbucks, as well as at cultural institutions like museums and libraries across the nation.
Many public service workers served their communities on the front lines through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, earning the nation’s gratitude in the process. Securing a bigger seat at the table allows them to advocate for fair wages and benefits, safer working conditions, as well as stronger public services for their communities.
“All across the nation, workers are fighting tooth and nail to get a seat at the table – and they’re winning,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said. “This momentum is undeniable. Workers everywhere know their voices have value, and we must back them up by making it easier to unionize.”