Durango Herald Editorial
1/28/07
Governor can cement his centrist credentials
Bill Ritter has an opportunity to show that he will govern as he campaigned - from the middle. Establishing that early is his best chance to set his administration on a course toward accomplishing his goals as governor. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:32 -->
The issue at hand is House Bill 1072. Colorado law mandates two votes to form all-union shops, with the second ballot requiring either a majority of all employees eligible to vote or a super-majority of 75 percent of all those who do vote, whichever is greater, for approval. House Bill 1072 would eliminate the second vote. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:38 -->
Business interests hate the idea. They argue that making it easier to create all-union shops would push new industries to other states. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:42 -->
Unions, of course, back the proposal. And with the Democrats now in control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor's mansion, they may see this as their opportunity to right an old wrong. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:46 -->
There are several problems with that. For one thing, the nature of unions has changed. The manufacturing jobs that had been their base are largely gone. Beyond a few remaining old-style industries, such as railroads - or dysfunctional ones, such as airlines - unions today are largely made up of government employees and teachers or those with low-skilled jobs such as maids and janitors. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:52 -->
And membership has declined. In the 1950s more than a third of the U.S. work force was unionized. As of 2005, only 12.5 percent of American workers belonged to unions. In Colorado the number is 8.4 percent. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:57 -->
That makes it all the more perplexing why the Democrats would risk anything over HB 1072. It is true that unions have long been one of their party's key components, but this bill risks undoing a collaboration crucial to the party's future. <!-- COUNTER: 95 COUNT:62 -->
Colorado Democrats, and the governor in particular, are where they are because they persuaded the voters that they are pragmatic problem-solvers - and not big-spending, anti-business partisans as the Republicans might say.
That came about in part through the run-up to the passage of Referendum C when business leaders saw that anti-government fervor was hurting Colorado and its business climate. And it is in part the result of the Democrats choosing moderate candidates who appreciate the concerns and importance of business - people like Bill Ritter.
Much of this is symbolic. Passing HB 1072 will not help workers or significantly expand union membership. Even raising the percentage of unionized workers in Colorado to the national average, an unlikely result, would mean little to most of the state.
Nor would it destroy Colorado's economy. The kind of industry most likely to move here is not the typical candidate for unionization. (The better argument against union shops is simply that forcing workers to contribute to a union they do not wish to support is an improper application of the power of the state.)
But for the Democrats to change the law to favor unions immediately upon gaining power would be seen as a slap in the face to the business community. It would undermine much of what Ritter and other middle-of-the-road Democrats have been working to achieve.
It would be best if the Senate would quietly kill HB 1072. Failing that, the governor should veto it. Ritter needs the support of the business community. And Colorado needs business and government to pull together.