Posts tagged Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Dems have been bleeding working-class support. Now possible 2028 contenders are fighting with unions.
July 24, 2025 // High-profile Democratic governors fighting the Trump administration are also mired in bruising conflicts at home — with allies they’ll likely need to advance their presidential ambitions.
Two of Colorado’s biggest unions join a state employee in suing Gov. Jared Polis
June 11, 2025 // Colorado WINS, a union representing 27,000 state employees, and the AFL-CIO say they are joining a top official in the Department of Labor and Employment in suing Gov. Jared Polis after they say he ordered state employees to commit illegal acts. "We are outraged as state employees that our governor wanted us to actively support that assault on our community and make us as state workers accomplices in an illegal and morally reprehensible act," says Diane Byrne, President of Colorado WINS.
Judge declines to ground unionized flight attendants’ paid sick leave lawsuit against Southwest
October 9, 2024 // Unionized airline workers are challenging a settlement between Southwest Airlines and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment that largely exempts the airline from following state paid sick leave requirements.
Douglas County files lawsuit challenging legality of unionization in sheriff’s office
May 10, 2024 // Prior to the lawsuit, the county also argued that the FOP misled employees, leading them to believe the sheriff supported unionization efforts when he did not. “This trickery by the union caused many employees to sign their names in support of a union because they were falsely led to believe Sheriff Weekly supported it,” county Commissioner George Teal alleged in a video message. The sheriff’s office provided the News-Press the letter that Teal apparently referred to. “In the spirit of transparency and support, I met with Sheriff Weekly to share the survey results and discuss our proposed course of action. Sheriff Weekly expressed his continued support for us and the FOP,” said the letter, signed as “president” of the local FOP branch. Also before the lawsuit, the local police union accused Weekly and other Douglas County officials of engaging in unfair labor practices during the unionization efforts.
La Plata County Sheriff’s deputies take step toward unionization
October 31, 2023 // At least 50% support from voting parties will be required to form a collective bargaining unit. It remains unclear what specifics a hypothetical collective bargaining unit might seek to secure in an agreement, but the broad understanding is that the goal would largely be to secure the existing benefits and pay in place now. McSweeney said the goal is to formalize negotiations regarding benefits, wages and working conditions for Sheriff’s Office staff. “We also hope to improve communications and collaborations with county and Sheriff’s Office leadership in achieving common goals and improving service to this community,” he said. In a voicemail to the Herald, Sheriff Sean Smith said that the impacts of a collective bargaining unit are unknown, given how new the law is.
Public workers who exercise free speech will be protected under new Colorado law
July 5, 2023 // Queer workers, workers of color, women, mothers, parents — all tend to feel retaliation a lot harder in the workplace. – Jade Kelly, of Communications Workers of America 7799 It follows a change to state law last year that gave employees in large Colorado counties the right to unionize and collectively bargain. That effort initially included a larger portion of public-sector workers, but it was pared down during the legislative process. “It shows testament to workers’ power on the rise,” said Jade Kelly, president of Communications Workers of America 7799, a coalition of several unions across Colorado, about the passage of SB-111. “We were organized, testifying in committees and making sure that workers’ voices were heard at the Capitol in a concentrated, meaningful way.” Queer workers, workers of color, women, mothers, parents — all tend to feel retaliation a lot harder in the workplace. – Jade Kelly, of Communications Workers of America 7799 The bill is personal for Kelly as well. She said that she requested a gender neutral bathroom several years ago at her University of Colorado Boulder job, but she was told that accommodation would be a security threat. Kelly, who is a transgender woman, spoke with her coworkers and they started organizing, only to be told by leadership that the group could be fired for taking action.
Colorado passes unionization law
June 20, 2023 // The law emphasizes the rights of public employees to join a public union, including county or municipal workers, general assembly staffers, school district employees, higher education employees, public defenders’ officers, University of Colorado and Denver hospital authorities, fire authorities, and members of a board of cooperative services.