This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on May 24, 2024.
Union members, Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists rallied at the state Capitol on Thursday in response to recent vetoes from Gov. Jared Polis.
Polis vetoed six bills on May 17, including three labor bills to combat wage theft in the construction industry, prohibit employers from requiring employees to attend certain workplace meetings and require certain heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems standards in school.
“Jared Polis’ actions are a relic of Colorado’s corporate-controlled past,” said Dennis Dougherty, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO. “And while (he) chose — because it was a choice — to align himself with corporate interests under the cover of darkness, we, the workers, stand together under the Colorado sun, right here and right now.”
A crowd of about 500 people, many wearing shirts that read “Polis failed workers,” gathered on the Capitol’s west steps, yards away from the governor’s office in the building. A Teamsters union semi-truck made laps around the area blasting labor songs, and an inflatable “Corporate Fat Cat” holding a construction worker by the throat stood on the lawn.
“All of these bills would have been monumental strides to support our working families and ensure that Coloradans are treated with respect, dignity and paid the wages they are owed,” said House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat. Duran sponsored two of the vetoed bills.
“I’m disappointed with Governor Polis’ decision to veto these bills,” she said. “It is upsetting not only for myself … but also for the hundreds of workers out there who put their heart and soul into advocating for legislation and had the hopes it would create a better workplace environment for them.”
House Bill 24-1008 would have held general contractors liable for wages if a subcontractor fails to pay its workers on a project. It was specifically aimed at the construction industry and was meant to encourage general contractors to only work with subcontractors who have a history of paying their workers.
“Bad actors will continue to fill their pockets with the wages of workers who are scraping by to make a living. Subcontractors tell their workers they will pay them next week, but next week never comes,” said Monica Rodriguez, the wage theft program coordinator at the Centro de los Trabajadores Colorado.
In his veto letter, Polis wrote that the bill would let those bad-actor subcontractors off the hook while punishing general contractors unnecessarily. It wouldn’t do much to prevent wage theft, he wrote.
Another vetoed bill, House Bill 24-1260, would have guaranteed that employees could refuse to attend workplace-sponsored meetings about “religious or political matters” without fear of punishment. This type of meeting, known as a captive audience meeting, can often include threats of retaliation for joining or organizing a union, according to bill sponsors.
Polis took issue with the bill’s broad definitions of political or religious matters and wrote that he would support a narrower bill that featured a “more manageable and neutral” definition of a captive audience meeting.
Polis also vetoed House Bill 24-1307. Under that legislation, schools seeking federal funding for their HVAC systems would have needed to meet requirements related to installation, inspection and maintenance. Schools would have also needed to use contractors from a certified contractor list.
“This is like taking your vehicle to a certified mechanic, not somebody on the corner,” said bill sponsor Rep. Sheila Lieder, a Littleton Democrat. “This is our children and our educators’ safety.”
Polis wrote in his veto letter that he worried about potential roadblocks the bill could create. Rural communities, for example, might not have contractors that fit the bill’s requirements. He listed 16 counties that do not have any certified electrical or plumbing contractors on the state’s list.
“To be in compliance with this bill, school districts in rural counties would need to find labor outside of their communities, which can drive up costs and delay projects,” he wrote.
Legislators on Thursday said they plan to continue conversations and bring back similar labor bills next session.
Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman also said in a statement that he is open to working on the policies to meet the bills’ objectives.
“The reality is, Governor Polis has expanded collective bargaining rights for tens of thousands of workers, including bargaining rights for state employees and local government workers. Gov. Polis was clear in his vetoes that while each of the bills had good aspects, the bills in their final form were not in the best interest of the state, and our requests to the legislators to improve the bills were rejected,” Wieman said.