Mark and Gail discuss the importance for Colorado GOvernor Polis to veto Big Labor government sector power expansion created by recently passed House Bill 1153.
House Bill 1153 would allow union bosses to impose monopoly bargaining on all state employees, even workers opposed to the union.
“Mornings with Gail” is hosted by longtime radio vet Gail Fallen from Colorado’s 1310AM KFKA .
COVID-19 HEIGHTENS NEED FOR GOV. POLIS TO VETO GOVERNMENT UNION BOSS MONOPOLY BARGAINING BILLS
BIG LABOR GIVEAWAY PENDING WITH GOVERNOR WOULD UNDERMINE FLEXIBILITY OF CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE, DRIVE UP COSTS IN FACE OF REVENUE LOSSES CAUSED BY CRISIS
Springfield, VA (June 2, 2020) – National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix today called on Colorado Governor Jared Polis to veto legislation slated to pass the Colorado House tomorrow, which would effectively grant union officials permanent union monopoly bargaining power over government employees and government services.
As Mix observed: “While this proposal would be wrong for Colorado’s taxpayers and economy at any time, they are especially harmful now since they would undermine efforts to mitigate the fiscal damage being wrought by the COVID-19 virus on Colorado.”
House Bill 1153 would allow union bosses to impose monopoly bargaining on all state employees, even workers opposed to the union.
Under union monopoly bargaining, all workers are forced to accept union boss “representation,” even individuals who don’t want it and may actually be harmed by it.
“Even convicted criminals retain the right to choose their own representation, and this legislation is just plain wrong,” explained Mix.
Under an executive order issued by Governor Ritter, Colorado state employees are already under monopoly bargaining, but this legislation would make it virtually impossible for a future governor to rescind the policy.
“The fact is,” said Mix, “this blatant union boss power grab will increase costs for Colorado taxpayers just as government revenues are dropping because of the economic harm caused by COVID-19.
“With the state facing a $3.3 billion hole in its current budget, and legislative committees killing bills because of $8,000 fiscal notes, it is unconscionable for the state to pass this scheme, which will cost millions in the near term and jack up the cost of state services even further in the years to come.”
Monopoly Bargaining Infringes on Individual Workers’ Rights, Drives Up Costs for Taxpayers
Mix also noted that HB 1153, if enacted, would cause significant harm to both independent-minded state workers and Colorado taxpayers.
“The simple fact is, this legislation will both infringe on individual employees’ rights and massively raise costs for taxpayers,” noted Mix.
“What you see in states with union monopoly bargaining is union bosses and their handpicked politicians saying, ‘You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, and to heck with taxpayers!’” said Mix.
Mix pointed to a 2016 study by the Heritage Foundation which showed that a state passing government sector bargaining increases the average annual tax burden by $3,000 for a family of four.
And an analysis by the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, splitting the states into three groups, found that the state and local tax burden in the 17 states with the most heavily unionized public sectors was 26% higher than in the 17 states where government union bosses have the lowest percentage of workers corralled into monopoly union bargaining.
Additionally, the Maryland Department of Fiscal Analysis found that government sector bargaining costs between $1.3 and $1.4 million per year in process costs alone for just 12 “bargaining units” of state employees.
In fact, Colorado would be granting union bosses monopoly bargaining power even as other states are curtailing it. Minnesota Democrat Governor Tim Walz recently issued an executive order, suspending monopoly bargaining contract provisions for 50,000 state employees specifically to better address the Coronavirus crisis.
“As other states are recognizing, granting union bosses monopoly bargaining power not only drives up the costs to taxpayers but undermines the flexibility needed for responsible fiscal policies,” observed Mix.
Union Monopoly Bargaining Undermines Representative Government
Mix also pointed out that granting monopoly bargaining privileges to union officials will give them special access to the public purse that all other organizations lack.
“In a representative system of government, it is wrong to allow special interest groups like union officials to bind government in its most basic function — the spending of public money and directing of public services,” said Mix.
Mix concluded, “For all these reasons, Governor Polis must reject this union boss power grab.”
