Denver City Council advances collective bargaining rights for more city workers

The Denver City Council advanced a proposed change to the city charter that would grant collective bargaining rights to some city employees.

If the council gives it a final approval next week, the measure will appear on the November ballot. 

The bill was amended five times by three councilmembers and, due to the nature of those changes, had to be “republished.”

Its final stop will be the council’s full vote next week before it gets sent to the ballot for voters to decide.

Its passage through the council is likely — the proposal has the support of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and it was sponsored by nine of the city’s 13 councilmembers.

The five amendments came about as a result of 46 total changes requested by councilmembers Sarah Parady, Shontel Lewis and Serena Gonzales Gutierrez. The first and third amendments brought about the most substantial changes, establishing binding arbitration and expanding the flexibility of an employee’s ability to strike.

“This amendment removes the word ‘imminent’ from the finding that is required before employees are prohibited from striking — meaning that employees will be prohibited from striking if the employees’ absence will result in a ‘substantial’ threat to public health, safety, or welfare,” Parady said. “The amendment also establishes the standard that County Court is to use in overturning a decision prohibiting certain employees from striking.”

The amendments were approved unanimously.

While the council was still in session, a rally in support of the collective bargaining agreement took place outside the City and County Building. Their chants could be heard inside the council chambers, surprising some councilmembers.

Several councilmembers left during the 5 p.m. public comment session to speak at the rally that drew other elected officials, such as state Sen. Chris Hansen and Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

“Well, at the end of the day Denver employees deserve to have a seat at the table and to be able to negotiate for themselves,” Griswold said after the rally. “I grew up in rural Colorado on food stamps, and I think good, strong unions lead to good middle-class jobs.”

“I’m a big supporter of people being able to unionize,” she added.

After the rally, participants shuffled inside and waited for the 30-minute courtesy public hearing. Only 11 people signed up for comments, two of whom spoke in opposition to the proposal.

Troy Bettinger, a vocal opponent of collective bargaining, said he’s worked in Denver for 16 years and his family have been residents in the city since 1919. It is the council’s duty to protect Denver residents from three things — inefficiency, politics and divisiveness, which Bettinger said unions only stoke and encourage.

“Collective Bargaining unions will rob us of our apolitical views, forcing us to get involved in union campaigns, union votes and union meetings,” he said. “The last thing Denver employees need is more meetings. Please save us from more meetings.”

He recalled his experience as a bus driver at the unionized Cherry Creek School District and said he saw firsthand how unions favor seniority over merit and worked with people “who hated management.”

The unions at the time “promoted that hate,” he said.

Denise Salter, who has worked for Denver for 12 years and is a “proud member” of Teamsters Local 17, argued that unions are necessary.

“I am here to tell you that you can love your job and you can still be in a union,” said Salter, who currently works at the airport. “My experiences have shown me that employees must have an independent voice at work. Just going to HR is not enough.”

Councilmember Kevin Flynn, who previously balked at the proposal, changed his vote to “yes.”

Flynn had voted no at the last council session because of one very specific issue — he said he didn’t hire the council aides for the other councilmembers, and they didn’t hire his. For them to be represented by the same bargaining unit is an issue, he said. 

“I didn’t want my no vote last week to be seen as objecting to the overall goal of this charter amendment,” Flynn said. “I’ve been a union member, and in one of the darkest moments of my working career, I, along with about 200 other working stiffs, were thrown out on the street when our newspaper closed. We all benefited very greatly from the representation that the newspaper guild provided.”