May 29, 2009 01:38 AM UTC

Ritter Rumored to be Vetoing Firefighters' Bill

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• by: Colorado Pols

Just weeks after vetoing another labor union bill and angering Democratic lawmakers who had supported it, Gov. Bill Ritter is widely expected to veto yet another labor union measure involving firefighters.

Ritter has until June 5 to make a decision on SB 180, before it becomes law automatically without his signature. But most of the talk surrounding the bill this week is of the expectation that Ritter will veto the bill that would give firefighters the right to form a union. As The Grand Junction Sentinel reports:

The organization Colorado Professional Firefighters is pressuring the governor, saying he had promised as a candidate to sign such a measure, which the union contends is needed to ensure firefighter safety by giving them a voice in equipment purchases and other matters.

Grand Junction Firefighters Association President Kevin Kuhlman echoed that sentiment, saying, “We want a voice in things that make our job safer.”

That can range from equipment and trucks to staffing and stations, he said.

Pay and benefits aren’t the issue, Kuhlman said.

Grand Junction Mayor Bruce Hill wrote to Ritter last week asking the governor to veto the bill, which in addition to overriding the city charter would require that irreconcilable disputes between cities and unions be resolved by voters.

The bill would apply only to fire departments or fire-protection districts with 50 or more employees.

From a political perspective, vetoing SB 180 will be a serious blow to Ritter’s re-election campaign…not because of what the legislation itself stands for, but for what it is saying about Ritter. He’s already angered many Democrats – not just labor unions – by vetoing bills that had wide support among his own base. He can’t keep doing this and really expect his base to have any interest at all in his re-election campaign; Democrats may hold their nose and vote for him, but he’s rapidly losing those who would volunteer and those who would write medium-sized checks.

Moreover, Ritter is really angering Democratic lawmakers who worked hard to pass legislation that they would have killed in committee if somebody in Ritter’s office had just picked up a phone and told them it was going to be vetoed. Neither this bill nor the bill that he vetoed 10 days ago were surprises to anyone.

A veto of SB 180 is incredibly confusing from a strategic standpoint. In erasing the legislation, Ritter would be accepting complex arguments about home rule problems over supporting firefighters, a group that is as popular as Santa Claus; there are few groups that poll better than firefighters among average voters.

You’re a Democratic governor, and you’re going to stand with the Colorado Municipal League instead of firefighters? Really? If you said we could only have the support of firefighters or the Colorado Municipal League, we’d choose firefighters 10 out of 10 times.

What’s the attack ad going to be if Ritter lets this bill become law? “Governor Ritter Supported Firefighters Instead of City Managers?” “Governor Ritter Made Home Rule Laws More Complex?”

Seriously – we’re asking because we don’t understand. What’s the upside to vetoing this bill?