Photo: From left, Colorado WINS President Skip Miller, Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Colorado WINS Executive Director Hilary Glasgow sign a new agreement the union representing state employees reached with Colorado officials, September 23, at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
This story by Lindsey Toomer appeared on Colorado Newsline on September 24, 2024.
Colorado state officials and the union that represents state workers reached a new agreement, signed by Governor Jared Polis and union leadership Monday.
The agreement is the second of its kind following a 2020 law that allowed state workers to organize and bargain, and it’s effective until the end of July 2027. Members of Colorado WINS, the union representing over 27,000 state workers, ratified the agreement that provides predictable wage increases as well as hiring and schedule requirements.
Colorado WINS President Skip Miller said union membership voted 97% in support of the agreement. The top priority Miller said members wanted included in the contract is a new “step” system that will better recognize people who have worked for the state for a long time.
Currently, if a state employee moves among state departments, their seniority resets, and they might be moved to a lower pay despite their time working with another state department.
“It kind of discouraged people sometimes from moving because you might move into a job… and that seniority that you had previously might not count,” Miller said.
The contract establishes a group of union members and state leaders who will work together during the first year of the contract to determine the best way to modify the step system. The new process will be implemented during the second year of the contract, so it will be effective for the third year.
“It’s a very exciting step forward, especially in these difficult budgetary times, to give workers a certainty they need to make their commitments to the state so we can recruit and retain the very best people to deliver the services that are absolutely critical across our state,” Polis, a Democrat, said at the agreement signing Monday at the Colorado Capitol.
Another part of the agreement is a commitment to help state employees obtain affordable housing in their communities. This will occur through a work group similar to the one looking into a better payment step system.
Miller said the state agreed to cover 100% of any increases in health care premiums over the three years of the new contract, meaning state employees will pay the same health care costs as they are now.
The union also negotiated a new minimum wage for state workers, increasing from $15.75 per hour to $16.55 per hour. State workers will all get cost of living adjustments as well, starting with a 2.5% raise on July 1, 2025, and a 3.1% raise on July 1, 2026.
The new contract expands on new standards related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, Miller said. Part of this is a commitment to address “any racial and gender pay disparities,” which the union will work with the governor’s office and the Colorado Legislature to find funding to do.
Hilary Glasgow, executive director of Colorado WINS, said improving state jobs means state services will also get better. She said while the agreement is a milestone, there’s more work to do.
“I always remember our first conversations about how this was about reinvesting in Colorado, how we invest in our state workers, so that we’re investing in our state services, so we’re investing in the communities we live in,” Glasgow said to Polis at the agreement signing. “And I’m looking forward to working with you to fulfill that shared mission.”
Miller said while unions “never get 100%” of what they want from negotiations, they got commitments to continue working on their top priorities. Since this was only the second time Colorado WINS negotiated a contract with the state, he said negotiators cleaned up language and other details that needed to be improved from the first contract.
All of the financial changes included in the new contract will go into effect July 1, 2025, including the new minimum wage. Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Polis, said the new partnership agreement will be factored into the governor’s November 1 budget request, which will have more details on how much the new agreement will cost the state.