Yesterday we learned that Big Labor has pulled out some more big guns to blast a hole in Colorado's economy, in the form of five new anti-business ballot initiatives. Supporters of right-to-work - who are well on their way to getting their measure on the ballot - and union bosses - who appear to be calling their bluff - may be loading up for a real duel, High Noon-style. It didn't take long for Governor Bill Ritter to come riding into town, telling everyone to "holster your weapons":Hoping to avoid an ugly confrontation between business and labor this fall, Gov. Bill Ritter wants the two sides to withdraw their competing ballot measures, his spokesman said Tuesday. "The governor believes the best thing for all of Colorado would be if … [Read more...]
Search Results for: 1072
More Sirota Selective Deception
Repeating himself at the Dead Governors site and at the Denver Post blog, Lefty political hit man David Sirota plies his latest act of deception with the headline: "Business to CO GOP: 'Where's The Evidence' To Back Up Attacks On Ritter?" Sirota links to a Denver Business Journal piece titled "Mixed reaction to union order" to make his point. The problem? First, Sirota willfully ignores the obvious split in the business community between the self-interested and conflict-averse Chamber of Commerce sector and the more entrepreneurial, independent-minded small business sector. Sirota cherry-picks the apathetic responses of the former (you can read his posts for the excerpts) and disregards the strong anger from the latter: One of the … [Read more...]
How to Pay Teachers
An op-ed I penned for the Independence Institute about the misleading Colorado Education Association "Professional Pay" campaign has been published both by the Greeley Tribune and the Colorado Springs Business Journal. Please feel free to check it out and to remember: the debate should first be about HOW we pay teachers, not HOW MUCH. … [Read more...]
Colo. Right-to-Work Initiative? Good Idea, but Unlikely Success
The Rocky Mountain News today reports that paperwork has been filed to place a right-to-work initiative on the Colorado ballot this year. The arguments against it are predictable: [Rep. Michael] Garcia [D-Aurora] said he would oppose efforts to weaken union shops. "Right-to-work laws benefit corporate executives with six-figure salaries, period," he said. "Unions are good for working men and women. "If passed, the right-to-work initiative would make all-union agreements in the state illegal." Garcia argued that the ballot proposal is unnecessary because federal law already prohibits workplaces from forcing workers to join a labor union as a condition of employment. Forcing workers to join, but not forcing workers to pay tribute, … [Read more...]
Mount Virtus On National (Internet) Airwaves
Readers who want to hear me share developments in Colorado labor policy and politics with a national audience, please tune in to Rightalk.com on Wednesday, May 16, 2:45-3:00 PM Eastern (12:45-1:00 PM Local). House Bill 1072, the Labor Peace Act, the coming Democratic Convention, Ritter's executive order and other favors to union leaders are all fair game. … [Read more...]
Intra-Party Fights for Colorado Democrats Heat Up
The Democrat Party's intramural squabbles are intensifying, and Colorado is ground zero for the shakedown. The Denver Post reports this morning that the Teamsters' James Hoffa, Jr., confronted Governor Bill Ritter yesterday with the threat that the party's convention scheduled for Denver next year could "blow up" if Ritter doesn't kowtow to the Big Labor agenda. Still a bit angry about the governor's veto of House Bill 1072, don't you think? The response from Ritter's office? The governor has said he made the decision in order to advance a broader agenda. He declined an interview Monday on his encounter with Hoffa. But his staff pointed to Ritter's recent restoration of a voluntary payroll deduction for state workers that … [Read more...]
Post to Ritter: Hit the Brakes
In today's lead editorial, the Denver Post throws itself in front of the careening Colorado Democrat bus and yells out to the driver, "Stop!" The state's leading liberal newspaper implores Governor Bill Ritter not to be "a toady for special interest legislation," and instead to veto House Bill 1072. (On Sunday, Post columnist Fred Brown already highlighted what a political disaster this bill could potentially be for Ritter and the Democrats.) Making his inaugural official appearance on the Mike Rosen Show yesterday, Ritter said the legislation attacking individual workers' rights "is no big deal." That's right: the best defense for HB 1072 has become that it really won't hurt that much. All part of "The Colorado Promise," I suppose. (The … [Read more...]
GOP Legislators Unveil New Site
The Colorado Senate Republicans have launched an official online news service. Check out Colorado Senate News. Leading the news there, not surprisingly, is the breakdown on the Democrats' efforts to ram through the pro-union bill HB 1072. Speaking of HB 1072, my latest op-ed on the topic ran yesterday in the Pueblo Chieftain as a counterpoint opposite labor professor Raymond Hogler. My piece comprises the latter half of the Web page, so please scroll down if you would like to read it. … [Read more...]
Filibuster!
A good, old-fashioned filibuster is going on in the Colorado Senate today as the legislative body debates House Bill 1072. Hurrah for the Republicans taking a united stand in defense of workers' rights and good business. Kudos especially to Senators Shawn Mitchell, Josh Penry, Ted Harvey, Greg Brophy, Mike Kopp, Scott Renfroe, Nancy Spence, Tom Wiens, Ron May, Ken Kester, and Steve Ward, who have carried the brunt of the debate on a LONG series of amendments designed to mitigate the negative effects of the bad legislation. It looks like they could keep this up well into the evening. Good thing to see the GOP Senate with a full-grown spine and the willingness to delay such a bad bill by shining the light so heavily on it. HB 1072: the … [Read more...]
Dems: Shilling for Union Bosses, Busting Colorado’s Economy
A topic not broached on Colorado's left-of-center blogs (for obvious reasons) is the great Democrat payback of "narrow interest" groups - read labor unions - who helped to buy them their majorities (measuring in the millions of dollars). First case in point: House Bill 1072 on a fast track through the state legislature. What does HB 1072 do? It takes away workers' rights. Yes, some - the House Republicans and their Golden Anvil Award & the Chamber of Commerce - have also pointed out the likely negative effect it will have on the state's business climate. But the more fundamental problem, as highlighted by the editors of the Rocky Mountain News, is that HB 1072 is a "blow to liberty." Republicans and other pro-business and/or … [Read more...]