This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at .
Gov. Jared Polis confirmed Thursday that he plans to veto a bill passed by Democrats in the legislature this year that would .
is a priority for the Colorado labor movement, and Polis鈥� decision to nix the measure is sure to inflame the unfavorable view of the governor already held by unions.
The measure would abolish a that 75% of workers at a company sign off before unions can negotiate with businesses . That鈥檚 after a majority of workers vote to unionize.
Union security is the term for when workers are forced to pay fees for collective bargaining representation 鈥� whether or not they are members of their workplace鈥檚 union. Unions are required to bargain on behalf of all workers at a company, whether they are in the union or not. That鈥檚 why they feel it鈥檚 only fair that union security be imposed to cover the cost of things like lawyers and negotiating experts.
The governor has long said he opposes eliminating the union security election. But he hasn鈥檛 outright vowed to veto Senate Bill 5 鈥� until now.
Polis told reporters Thursday that he鈥檚 鈥渋ndicated very clearly鈥� that he dislikes the measure and plans to veto it.
鈥淚 don't know how you can interpret that any other way,鈥� he said when asked for a clear answer on his veto plans.
Unions blasted Polis in a written statement Thursday afternoon.
"Colorado workers deserve the freedom to form a strong union to negotiate for better pay and safety," said Dennis Dougherty, who leads the Colorado AFL-CIO. "If Gov. Polis vetoes the Worker Protection Act, it鈥檚 kowtowing to the billionaire class rigging the system against the rest of us. Nurses, truck drivers and other workers won鈥檛 forget that the governor betrayed them with a veto.鈥�
Democrats in the legislature tried to reach a compromise on Senate Bill 5 with the labor movement, business leaders and Polis. , and Democrats in the General Assembly instead passed Senate Bill 5 on Tuesday and urged Polis to sign it.
The governor said while he will veto Senate Bill 5, he鈥檚 willing to work on the issue in the future.
鈥淧eople were not too far apart, but still far enough to avoid getting a (deal),鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don't even want to use the word 鈥榗ompromise,鈥� because I truly believe the bill that I could sign would be better for workers and better for business.鈥�
Union leaders have vowed to launch a national campaign opposing Polis once he vetoes Senate Bill 5.
Dougherty said the labor movement will try again next year.
"We鈥檙e just getting started," he said. "This campaign was a big boost to Colorado鈥檚 labor movement, building solidarity, worker power and a fairer vision for our future. We鈥檒l be back next year, not just with this bill but also with a 'just cause' statewide ballot measure to prevent corporations from firing workers for no reason."
Other labor laws sought
Dougherty was referring to a ballot measure he鈥檚 working on that would make Colorado the second 鈥渏ust-cause employment鈥� state in the U.S. would prohibit companies with more than eight employees from firing or suspending a worker without just cause, which is defined in the measure as substandard performance, material neglect, repeated policy violation and gross insubordination. Conviction of a crime of 鈥渕oral turpitude鈥� 鈥� like murder, kidnapping and sexual assault 鈥� and an employer鈥檚 financial instability would also constitute just cause under the initiative.
Colorado, like 48 other states, is currently an , meaning an employer can fire a worker at any time for any reason or no reason at all. The exception is for employees who are working under a contract. And an employer cannot fire a worker for their age, race, sex, a disability or their religion.
Initiative 43 is a long way from appearing on the 2026 ballot. Submitting a ballot initiative to Legislative Council Staff is the first step. Proposals then must be vetted by the state鈥檚 Title Board. Then, proponents must gather some 125,000 voter signatures to make the ballot.
Making the ballot typically costs about $2 million.
There are other labor measures being pursued for the 2026 ballot.
Jon Caldara, who leads the libertarian Independence Institute, is behind a proposal that would make Colorado a right-to-work state. The measure would amend the state constitution to prohibit employees from being forced to pay collective bargaining representation fees if they aren鈥檛 in a union. It was a direct response to the Labor Peace Act repeal effort.
Getting a measure on the ballot that amends the state constitution is more difficult.
Proponents must still gather some 125,000 voter signatures, but those signatures must include at least 2% of the registered voters in each of the state鈥檚 35 state Senate districts. The measure would then require at least 55% of the vote to pass.
Senate Bill 5 passed the Senate 22-12 along party lines and the House 43-22 also along party lines.