February 23, 2010 09:18 AM UTC

All Things Labor

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• by: richardmyers

Amendment 54 is dead. May it rest in peace, forever undisturbed.

I think it is worth recalling what Amendment 54 was all about. While i don’t often rely upon the mainstream media to explain issues related to work life and democratic process, i think their perception of this bill gives a good overview.

There was one newspaper that approved of Amendment 54, the Aspen Times. Their entire editorial comment in support consisted of,

Vote yes on Amendment 54.

http://www.aspentimes.com/arti…

Newspapers opposing Amendment 54 included the Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post, The Mountain Mail (Salida), Pueblo Chieftain, Longmont Times-Call, Grand Junction Sentinel, Loveland Reporter-Herald, Boulder Weekly, Cortez Journal, The Durango Telegraph, Yellow Scene Magazine, and the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Some of their comments, and a brief roundup of other labor issues after the fold.

The Rocky Mountain News called Amendment 54 “an affront to free speech” and worried about collateral damage. They observed,

[Amendment 54] applies not only to the contractor, but also to “immediate family members,” including spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and domestic partners.

How far this gag on political advocacy reaches isn’t clear.

http://www.rockymountainnews.c…

Steamboat Pilot & Today commented,

Not only does Amendment 54 fail to live up to the high standard that should be required of amendments to our constitution, it attempts to fix a problem we’re not convinced exists.

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/…

The Durango Telegraph advised,

How we’re voting: No. While money in politics does have a distorting effect and is one of the reasons our government often favors wealthy special interests, this seems to take a disproportionate shot at unions, while having very little effect on businesses.

http://www.durangotelegraph.co…

The Cortez Journal:

Billed as a clean government effort, this would in reality provide a tool to stifle political participation.

http://cortezjournal.com/main….

I’ll give the nominally anti-union Denver Post the last word on the subject, and credit them with breaking with their usual straitjacket approach:

By equating unions that represent government workers – like police and firefighters – as holders of “no-bid contracts,” the language of Amendment 54 would lock into the Colorado Constitution a legal notion in defiance of federal collective bargaining laws dating back to 1935.

Federal law allows labor unions to have exclusive contracts for logical and simple reasons: Without those assurances, unions would have little to no power in representing their members.

Amendment 54 also would preclude voter-supported utilities, like Xcel Energy, from paying for their own campaigns for the franchises that allow them to continue doing business. State law allows municipalities to award sole-source franchises to companies like Xcel because the enormous infrastructure needs make it impractical to award contracts with multiple retail providers of natural gas and electricity.

But Amendment 54 would overturn that logic and prevent companies from funding campaigns for the right to hold these franchise contracts. Such a restriction overlooks the fact that the state’s Public Utilities Commission already is charged with making sure licensees operate fairly and provide customers with good service at reasonable rates.

The damage that Amendment 54 would do to existing legal and voter-supported arrangements that benefit Coloradans would be excessive. It also is preventable.

Vote “no” on Amendment 54.

http://www.denverpost.com/endo…

UFCW Local 7 has settled the Colorado grocery workers’ contracts, and the new leadership has rescinded endorsement of Crisanta Duran. But the discussion and fallout continue.

Ric Urrutia, a union staffer who was dismissed by the previous Local 7 administration, maintains a blog intending to inform rank and file grocery workers. He weighed in on Crisanta’s candidacy, prompting a response from a UFCW International union official. The discussion got a little heated, but may be settling down to an exchange of views (rather than accusations?):

http://unionstaffspeaksout.wor…

Barbara Thayer recently produced an excellent play about labor activist and song writer Joe Hill. She’s exploring the next labor project, and has sent out this note:

Creative organization with full theatrical production expertise and capabilities looking for a good play written about the Bonus Army.  Also looking to talk with interested, talented playwright about developing a powerful script dealing with significant Colorado historic labor events and personalities that are being obliterated from public memory. Part of a larger project “Against Historic Amnesia.”  If interested, send a note/contact info to barbarathayer@att.net.

And this, from Ed Knox of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68:

The Breakfast Club’s Rick Crandall will be interviewing Dudley Light from HELMETS TO HARDHATS on March 4th, 2010 at 9:20 in the morning. (Mountain Time) Be sure to tune in and listen.  KEZW AM1430 on the AM dial.  It is also available online at:  www.studio1430.com  and on H.D. RADIO, at 101.1FM HD-2.  

If you like what you hear, please contact the station and let them know.  You can call them at 303-631-1430 or email Rick Crandall at rc1430@comcast.net.  

Feel free to blast this information out to your entire list.  Helmets to Hardhats is a National Program which helps in the transition process for those returning to “civilian life” from the Military.

Disclosure: I blogged against Amendment 54, and worked for the grocery workers union during their contract talks. I also hope to work with Barbara Thayer in developing her new project.