The 2022 Collective Bargaining for County and Higher Education Employees Bill
Colorado has struggled with shortages of essential public service workers for years, and now COVID has pushed these already-depleted workforces to a breaking point. County and higher education employees are essential to keeping our communities safe, our counties running, and our students educated and trained.
It is time to extend full collective bargaining rights to these workers — because no one knows how to solve the issues plaguing Colorado county services and universities better than they do. They deserve the right to come together in a union to improve their jobs and the services they provide.
Public service workers who make the choice to form a union will have a seat at the table to collectively bargain on important issues like working conditions, job safety, pay, and benefits — and collaborate with management to address shared challenges like staff shortages, retention issues, and improving public services. The bill would also extend protections to workers who are currently vulnerable to retaliation, discrimination, and coercion for exercising basic union rights.