Associated Builders and Contractors – Rocky Mountain Chapter (ABC), a statewide association of commercial and industrial construction general contractors, specialty contractors and suppliers, recently announced its opposition to Colorado Senate Bill SB25-005 “Worker Protection Collective Bargaining,” which passed in this month in its first hearing in the full Senate.
Jack Tate, president & CEO, of ABC Rocky Mountain, affirmed that “ABC’s members strongly support the individual right of an employee to join a union as well as to refrain from such an association. Our members also strongly support the right of a contractor to engage with a trade union for its labor solution or work independently as a non-union shop. Any company should be able to win work in fair and open competition on the merits of a proposal, irrespective of labor affiliation. We also recognize that these rights can come into conflict and that is why the Colorado Labor Peace Act is important.”
Tate affirmed: “We support the current system that ensures that unionization reflects broad worker consensus, preventing unnecessary labor disputes and forced unionization that could limit individual worker choice. Repealing the second election requirement would disrupt the balanced labor environment Colorado has enjoyed for decades.
Tate continued: “The Colorado Labor Peace Act provides critical safeguards for small businesses, preventing undue administrative and financial burdens from rapid unionization. Removing these protections could make Colorado less attractive for businesses, leading to higher costs, reduced job growth, and economic instability.
Finally, Tate noted: “The Colorado Labor Peace Act ensures that unions cannot impose representation on workers without broad, democratic support. Eliminating the second election threshold would empower unions at the expense of individual worker choice, creating an environment where a minority of workers could dictate workplace conditions for all employees and reductions in take-home pay.”
“We urge Coloradans to contact their legislator and Governo Polis to let them know that the current system protects job opportunities, wages, and price levels in the state.”
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 24,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its sixty-eight chapters help members develop people, win work, and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work.
