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This page contains an archive of the last 100 entries posted to ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest in the Workers Rights and Corporate Accountability category. They are listed from newest to oldest. You can find older entries using the search box below.

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Workers Rights and Corporate Accountability Archives

February 28, 2008

Strike ban for state workers gains - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8387618...
A Senate panel backed legislation Wednesday banning state workers from striking, but not before one lawmaker went on a table-slapping tirade about the "silliness" of the business-versus-labor debate. "This state is burning down!" shouted Sen. Chris Romer, a Denver Democrat. He challenged business and labor leaders to push a November ballot measure to bail out education or health care instead of fighting over a "modest" order from Gov. Bill Ritter allowing state workers to negotiate with managers. And he asked business leaders to stomp out a potential right-to-work initiative that would prohibit workers from being forced to become union members or pay union dues.
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February 21, 2008

Teeth urged for city wage law - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8318662...
A Denver councilman wants an overhaul of how the city punishes companies that violate Denver's prevailing-wage laws. "It makes no sense to have a rule about which we obviously care but for which there are effectively no penalties," Councilman Chris Nevitt said Wednesday. The prevailing-wage ordinance requires contractors on city projects to pay the prevailing industry wage for such work. The issue first surfaced this month when Nevitt criticized RK Mechanical as a persistent violator of prevailing-wage pay, and he objected to the contractor getting $13.4 million in work at Denver International Airport. Council President Michael Hancock confirmed Tuesday that the issue probably will go before the Finance Committee for consideration. "Chris' argument around our enforcement of prevailing wage is a compelling one, and we should look at it," said Hancock, who stressed he also thinks there's a need for greater penalties for violations. Nevitt suggested one approach could involve fining firms that fail to comply.
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February 19, 2008

The Steamboat Pilot & Today: Bargaining agreement gives $210K in raises to district staff

http://steamboatpilot.com/news/2008/feb/19/bargaining_agreement_gives_210k_raise...
A Collaborative Bargaining Team agreement approved Monday by the Steamboat Springs School Board will put an additional $210,000 into the pockets of teachers, administrators, support staff and hard-to-fill positions. The proposal, which also was approved last week by Steamboat Springs School District staff, is the result of an unexpected enrollment increase of about 100 students this year that infused more than $400,000 in state funds into the school district. The Colorado Department of Education uses final enrollment numbers as of Oct. 1 of each school year to determine how much funding each district receives per student, often referred to as per pupil operating revenue, or PPOR. The Collaborative Bargaining Team proposal is retroactive to the beginning of the 2007-08 school year and builds upon an agreement approved by the School Board in June that granted $475,860 for better salaries and benefits to certified and classified staff.
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The Coloradoan - Unions return to streets for signatures

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS01/802190327/1002/...
If at first you fail, try and try again. At least that's the attitude of two local unions working to pave the way for city employees to bargain collectively. Local union leaders fell more than 2,300 signatures short of the required 8,894 needed to force a special election this summer when they turned in the boxes of petitions to the City Clerk's Office last month. Local leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Communications Workers of America turned in approximately 11,000 signed petitions to the Fort Collins City Clerk's office last month, 4,000 fewer than organizers said during a press conference at the time. Organizers said anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 signed petitions that were collected were not turned in by accident. And they also have had petition collectors out gathering more in recent days. Union organizers now have until Thursday to turn in the required number of valid petition signatures to force the special election. If the issue passes, it would change the city's charter, akin to a constitution, to allow workers to unionize. It wouldn't automatically unionize workers; they'd have to organize and vote on that themselves.
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February 18, 2008

The Denver Post - Leader labors to safeguard food workers

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8277954...
Interview | Lawyer Ernest L. Duran Jr., president of UFCW Union Local 7 and vice president of UFCW International
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February 13, 2008

Liens filed against contemporary art museum : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/13/liens-filed-against-contempora...
The $16 million Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver could be facing a public relations black eye in the wake of claims by subcontractors that they're owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for work on the building designed by world-famous architect David Adjaye. Subcontractors have filed more than $352,000 in mechanic liens against the project at 1485 Delgany St. Buddy Reifsneider, president of Proff Paint Co., said his company is owed $23,750 for work at the museum. "What bothers me the most is the museum has been getting all of this great publicity, and at the same time they aren't paying the subcontractors who built it," Reifsneider said. He said he has $1,800 in paint sitting in the museum that he paid for.
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February 7, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Senator not surprised by partnership vote

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1202398141/10...
It came as no surprise to a Republican lawmaker Wednesday when a Senate committee killed his bill to block partnership agreements between state workers and their bosses. Still, Sen. Shawn Mitchell of Broomfield said he wanted to make his point that Gov. Bill Ritter's surprise announcement last fall that he was allowing state employees to join unions and enter into agreements with the agencies they work for was a bad idea. He said the governor's plan ultimately will limit employees' ability to offer helpful ideas, not encourage them. "Right now if you work in the Division of Insurance, you can speak your mind individually, you can join (a workers' association), you can join the Colorado Public Employees Alliance, you can get together with three or four of your colleagues and say, 'We have a great idea,’ ” he said. "After an exclusive (union) representative is recognized, no. None of those options. One voice, the voice of the collective bargaining agent. Voices are restricted, not extended and embraced."
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The Denver Post - GOP loses 2nd union salvo

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8187672...
Another Republican attempt to dismantle Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order creating union partnerships for state workers was stomped out at the Capitol Wednesday. A bill that would have reversed the governor's November order died on a 3-2 party-line vote in the Senate's state affairs committee. Democrats already dispatched a GOP-backed bill that would have prohibited striking by public employees — including teachers and transportation workers. Both measures were fallout from the governor's order allowing state workers' unions to bargain with management. Sen. Shawn Mitchell, a Broomfield Republican who sponsored the bill tearing down the executive order, said the battle isn't over. He plans to introduce resolutions urging the governor to ban mandatory union dues and what he said was harassment of state workers by unions seeking to boost membership rolls. Mitchell said the executive order created a "tense and hostile environment" where state workers feel pressure to join a union. He cited examples of union representatives "harassing" employees at work and on their doorsteps. But state workers testified Wednesday that Ritter's executive order will make them less afraid at work because they can speak up without fear of retaliation. "That to me is an excitement I can't even contain sometimes," said Barbara Bond, a Department of Corrections employee.
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Grocer agrees to pay backwages : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/07/grocer-agrees-to-pay-backwages...
A discount natural grocer based in Boulder has agreed to pay more than $125,000 in back wages to its employees, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division said Wednesday. Sunflower Farmers Market - co-founded by Mike Gilliland, who also co-founded Boulder's Wild Oats Markets - has stores in Denver, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz. A Boulder store is slated to open this spring. Seventy-eight workers will receive the back pay after the federal agency found the company had been "misapplying the executive and administrative exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which resulted in the workers being due $125,310 in overtime back wages," according to a media release. An additional $10,000 will also be paid out by the company for violations of child labor regulations, specifically allowing six minors to work past 9 p.m.
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January 31, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - House GOP back no-strike legislation

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1201792842/5...
Though they opposed it earlier this week, all but two House Republicans voted Wednesday for legislation that bans state workers from striking. If they hadn't, the bill would have died because 10 Democrats voted against the measure, which was introduced by one of their own, Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley. Riesberg's bill, HB1189, passed 53-12, but only after House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, called for a caucus of all 25 Republicans in the House to tell them they should vote for the bill. "It's better than nothing," he said.
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The Denver Post - Rivals "hold noses," OK Dem no-strike bill

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8125000...
Legislation that would make it a crime for state workers to strike passed the House Wednesday — but only after Republicans agreed to swallow a bill they compared to a "decaffeinated, skim-milk latte." It looked like a Republican fire drill as GOP lawmakers poured out of the House to hold an emergency caucus in the Capitol basement. They were in a tough spot: A vote against the bill they had attacked for weeks could kill it, leaving nothing on the table this session to prevent strikes. The Democrats had already quashed a GOP-backed measure to ban strikes for all public employees, including teachers, transportation and public health workers. House Republican Leader Mike May of Parker said he was unwilling to let the governor "off the hook" by not sending a no-strike bill to his desk. "I think we need to hold the governor to his promise," May told his caucus. "Hopefully, come November, we'll have a bigger say next time around."
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January 30, 2008

Headlines: Strike ban bill advances | bill, gardner, strike - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/bill_32535___article.html/gardner_strike.html...
Republican legislators demeaned a Democratsponsored ban on state employee strikes as a “bait and switch” and “joke” Tuesday — and then helped to pass the measure. House members approved House Bill 1189 by a significant margin on its second reading, sending it to a third and final vote today and then on to the Senate. Gov. Bill Ritter has said he will sign the proposal if it hits his desk.
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House OKs state worker strike ban : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/30/house-oks-state-worker-strike-...
House lawmakers on Tuesday passed a Democratic bill to bar state workers from striking despite Republicans' criticism that it had no teeth. Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, introduced HB 1189 after concerns arose that Gov. Bill Ritter's Nov. 2 executive order giving unions a larger voice in state government could not prevent organized workers from striking. Ritter has said he would sign such a bill, though he contends that his order is plenty clear in its strike prohibition. But Rep. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, whose competing bill was killed in a Democratic-controlled committee last week, rose to argue that Riesberg's bill lacks sufficient penalties to prevent strikes. "It is our view that it does not have any teeth . . . to prohibit a strike," Gardner said. He introduced amendments to allow a court to block a strike and to increase penalties against striking workers, including firing them.
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The Denver Post - Petitions for "right to work" law begin circulating

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8113297...
Anti-union advocates are beginning to circulate petitions to get a "right to work" initiative on the November ballot in Colorado. Organizers have until the middle of April to submit about 76,000 valid signatures to put the measure up for a vote. The initiative would prohibit workers from being forced to become union members or pay union dues. Advocates say the measure would help Colorado businesses remain competitive with 22 other states in the nation that have similar laws. Critics say the law would let "free- rider" nonunion workers enjoy benefits paid by dues-paying members. Political consultant Rob Fairbank, an organizer of the ballot campaign, said the movement has gained support in the business community since November, when Gov. Bill Ritter signed an executive order that gives collective-bargaining rights to state government employees.
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The Denver Post - Lawmakers try to work things out

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8113298...
Legislation that would make it a crime for state employees to strike put lawmakers from both parties in a tough spot Tuesday. The measure survived an initial vote in the House despite attacks from Republicans and Democrats — for opposite reasons. The Democrat-backed bill is fallout from Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order creating union partnerships for state employees. Despite a no-strike clause, the governor's order does not prevent workers from striking, according to an attorney general's opinion. Ritter has said he would sign the legislation, which could help smooth over his relationship with business leaders concerned that union partnerships made the state less friendly to business. But several Democrats voted against the no-strike bill, saying they refused to make striking a crime.
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The Denver Post - Unions work hard to recruit state workers

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8115350...
One labor union's website says, "State Employee Partnership Breakthrough!" followed by photos of state employees smiling and giving the thumbs-up to Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order allowing state workers to form bargaining groups. A competing website touts its leaders' long history of defending worker rights and invites state employees to fill out membership forms authorizing the state to deduct $15 a month for dues. The Colorado Association of Public Employees/Service Employees International Union, or CAPE/SEIU, and the Colorado Public Employee Alliance, or CPEA, are among the labor groups using the Internet, fliers, mailers and lunch-hour breaks to win over state workers not already affiliated with a union.
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January 28, 2008

Mechanics to vote on switching unions : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/26/mechanics-to-vote-on-switching...
United Airlines mechanics, facing the possible sale of the carrier's maintenance division, will vote on whether to switch to the Teamsters, in a move their current union said may leave the workers without representation. The National Mediation Board authorized the election Thursday, without giving a date, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Friday. The union has said it would fight United parent UAL Corp.'s plans to sell the maintenance division. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents about 5,500 active workers at United, said the election may leave the mechanics without a union, just as the carrier prepares to negotiate labor terms amid a potential sale.
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January 25, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Ban on all state workers' strikes nixed by panel

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1201273788/12...
Only state employees who are part of a partnership agreement would be barred from striking under a measure approved by a House committee Thursday. That was the result of two votes Thursday by a House committee, which killed a Republican's measure to bar all government workers from striking, but approved a Democrat's more narrow bill that limited the ban to certain state workers. Rep. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, said Gov. Bill Ritter's recent executive order calling for partnership agreements between state employees and the government agencies they work for opened the door for state employee strikes even though those agreements are to include no-strike/no work stoppages clauses.
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Headlines: House panel rejects ban on strikes by public workers | state, house, strikes - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/state_32361___article.html/house_strikes.html...
A House committee Thursday rejected a Colorado Springs legislator’s tough prohibition against strikes by public employees. Instead, the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee voted 6-5 in favor of a measure by Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, that bans strikes by state employees only. Rep. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, had proposed banning strikes by all public employees in the state, including teachers and city workers. It carried fines of $500 per day for striking workers and $10,000 a day for labor organizations and would have decertified unions and barred employees from working for any public body for one year. Reisberg’s proposal has less stringent penalties, with violators facing a misdemeanor charge but not the mandatory loss of their job or high fines. The dueling measures were in response to Gov. Bill Ritter’s Nov. 2 executive order giving state employee unions more bargaining power. Ritter’s order banned strikes, but state Attorney General John Suthers issued an opinion that the Colorado Supreme Court had upheld workers’ conditional right to strike, despite an old clause in state law prohibiting it.
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Panel OKs bill barring strikes by state workers : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/25/panel-oks-bill-barring-strikes...
Rep. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, offered a little humor Thursday in summing up the chance he thought his bill banning all public employees from striking had of passing once it hit a Democratic-controlled committee that afternoon. "I've sharpened my sabers and loaded my gun," he said. "However, I think I'm about to put the gun to my head and the saber to my chest." Indeed, the Democrats on the House Business and Labor Committee killed his bill by postponing it indefinitely on a 7-4, party-line vote. They called it a heavy-handed overreaction to a possible problem with Gov. Bill Ritter's Nov. 2 executive order giving unions a larger voice in state government. Instead, the committee barely approved a competing bill offered by a Democrat to clear up an ambiguity in Ritter's order.
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The Denver Post - No-strike bill wins committee OK - barely

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8070928...
The political fallout from Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order allowing union partnerships for state workers surfaced at the Capitol on Thursday in a deep-rooted fight over two bills calling for a ban on strikes. Legislation prohibiting state employees from striking squeaked through the Democratic-controlled House business committee, with Democratic Rep. John Soper of Thornton "holding his nose" to support a measure that the governor has said he would sign. A tougher, GOP-backed bill that would have banned strikes by all public employees was killed on a party-line vote. Republican lawmakers vowed shortly after Ritter signed his executive order that they would push for a law banning strikes. An opinion from Attorney General John Suthers said that despite a no-strike clause in Ritter's order, state workers have long had the right to strike and still do. GOP leaders maintain that Ritter's order makes the prospect of a strike more likely. "The danger is greater today," said Rep. Bob Gardner, the Colorado Springs Republican who sponsored the GOP no-strike bill. Democrats had no trouble killing Gardner's bill 7-4, but they were in a tough position when it came to the proposal from Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley. Rep. Morgan Carroll of Aurora was the only Democrat to vote against the measure, which passed 6-5.
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January 24, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Landmark status sought for massacre site

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1201187288/16...
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar is seeking landmark status for the site of the Ludlow Tent Colony, where 18 people died in one of the bloodiest labor strikes in U.S. history. The 40-acre site, purchased by the United Mine Workers of America in 1918, is home to a monument that represents the 11 children, two women and five coal miners that were killed by state militia on April 20, 1914. The monument was erected just feet from the "death pit" where the children were found suffocated after the militia set fire to their tent. Calling it "one of the darkest days in Colorado history," Salazar, D-Colo., said the massacre "focused the eyes of the nation on Southern Colorado and highlighted the dangers of coal mining and the relationship between the miners, the union and the coal companies."
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Headlines: House panel weighs ban on public-worker strikes | bill, ban, strikes - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/bill_32310___article.html/ban_strikes.html...
A House committee will debate today whether to impose a ban on strikes by public employees. Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter, said that if a strike were to occur, the state would rely on its plans to keep the government running during a time of emergency or natural disaster. But he said the issue should be considered moot because Ritter has promised to sign a strike ban. On Nov. 2, Ritter signed an executive order allowing employees more power to join unions and bargain as a group. The order prohibited publicemployees strikes, but an opinion by Attorney General John Suthers said the governor could not override court rulings allowing the action. Rep. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, introduced a bill that would ban strikes by all public employees, including teachers and Regional Transportation District workers, and would impose $10,000-aday fines and firing for violators. Ritter said in December that he would not sign that bill because its scope exceeded the executive order that he had directed only to state workers. On Friday, Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, introduced a competing measure that would ban strikes by employees in the state personnel system. This is the governor’s preferred bill, Dreyer said. Gardner said he believes more punitive measures are needed to ensure prison guards or snowplow drivers do not walk off the job when they are needed.
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Ludlow landmark status sought : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/24/salazar-pushes-landmark-status...
Democratic U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar said Wednesday he plans to introduce legislation to make the Ludlow Tent Colony in southern Colorado - site of one of the most violent labor conflicts in history - a National Historic Landmark. If approved, the designation would give the National Park Service a bigger role in protecting the site. "The history of the Ludlow Massacre, and the site that holds the archaeological remains of the conflict, are central to our nation's story," Salazar wrote in a letter last week to the chief of the National Historic Landmark Program. In September 1913, tens of thousands of coal miners in the area went on strike and began protesting for higher wages, union recognition and state mining law enforcement.
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January 23, 2008

Battle brewing over state unions : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/23/battle-brewing-over-state-unio...
Republicans are ramping up to pick the fight they promised this session over Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order making unions a bigger player in state government. Ritter and his fellow Democrats in charge of the legislature, meanwhile, are maneuvering to draw attention away from the debate. The fight will last at least two rounds and could be over two weeks from now. That's roughly when Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, expects his bill, which would toss out the so-called employee partnership agreements Ritter signed, to be deep-sixed by the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee, where Democrats hold a 3-2 edge. "There's always the hope that (the bill) will find one Democrat more interested in good policy than partisan politics and union payoff. But State Affairs is a stacked committee, so hope is dim in that dungeon," Mitchell said. Prior to that, round one begins in the House this week with a debate over how to deal with a decision by Attorney General John Suthers that Ritter's executive order could not repeal state workers' never-used right to strike. Ritter's lawyers believe the order keeps employees who enter into partnership agreements from striking. But the governor has committed to signing a bill clearing that up.
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The Coloradoan - Union leaders turn in signatures

http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/NEWS01/801230325/1002/...
The signatures are in, and now city workers hoping to unionize are playing a waiting game. Local leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Communications Workers of America turned in nearly 15,000 signed petitions Tuesday to the city clerk's office - almost 6,000 more than the 8,894 required to bring the issue to a special election this spring.
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January 18, 2008

Ritter creates "jobs Cabinet" : Politics : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/17/ritter-creates-jobs-cabinet/...
Gov. Bill Ritter’s new jobs Cabinet comes at an important time, as many believe the U.S. economy is on the cusp of a recession, if it is not in one already. The goal of the group is to unite the education, business and workforce development spheres to keep the state’s economy competitive. Ensuring that Coloradans have what it takes to fill good jobs in key sectors and encouraging businesses to stay or relocate here are atop the agenda. “What is this all about?” said Jim Lyons, a Denver lawyer and one of the Cabinet’s co-chairs. “The short, simplistic answer is there are separate tracks being pursued right now in our state for economic improvement, and our job is to get all three tracks to the same intersection.” The group, whose aim is to align the skills of workers with the needs of companies, will have 35 to 40 members, led by Lyons, Qwest executive Teresa Taylor and Trinidad State Junior College President Ruth Ann Woods. Four Ritter administration officials — the directors of the departments of economic development, labor, education and local affairs — plan to assist.
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Headlines: Builder fined $1,500 in deadly Carson accident | hardrock, healy, company - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/hardrock_32107___article.html/healy_company.html...
A Penrose construction company has been fined $1,500 for its role in a 2007 Fort Carson construction accident that killed one of its workers and seriously injured another. After a five-month investigation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Hardrock Structures for a “serious” violation on July 9, 2007, when a concrete girder fell during the construction of an office building on the Army post. Billy Needham, 39, of Canon City died after being hit by falling concrete. Paul Snow, 44, of Penrose suffered severe injuries to his face, wrists, internal organs and right leg after being thrown from a lift cage.
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Douglas wages surge while others lag : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/18/douglas-wages-surge-while-othe...
Workers in Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties saw their wages rise faster than the national average in the second quarter of last year, but those in four other counties lagged. Average weekly wages in Denver rose 5.3 percent to $989, while U.S. wages increased 4.6 percent to $820, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Douglas County reported the fastest gain in Colorado and the eighth-fastest in the country - 8.2 percent - and Arapahoe and Boulder counties had the weakest increases, 2.3 percent. Denver in the same period posted a 2.6 percent rise in employment compared with 1.2 percent for the U.S., according to the report released Thursday.
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January 17, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - TSJC president named to governor’s job panel

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1200581591/15...
Trinidad State Junior College President Ruth Ann Woods will serve on the governor’s new Colorado Jobs Cabinet. Gov. Bill Ritter announced the appointment in his annual State of the State address last week. The panel was created to help align economic-development strategies, education programs and regional workforce needs to produce a better labor force for Colorado businesses. "We need to make sure that all of our economic-development strategies are aligned with our educational programs. That will be one of the main goals of my new Colorado Jobs Cabinet," Ritter said.
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January 15, 2008

All RTD drivers now unionized : Traffic : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/15/all-rtd-drivers-now-unionized/...
Drivers at the last of RTD's three private contractors have voted to go union, completing a campaign by the Amalgamated Transit Union to once again represent all of the transit agency's drivers. ATU Local 1001, which represents drivers, mechanics and other hourly wage employees who work directly for RTD, won an election among Laidlaw's 262 drivers last week. Last summer, Local 1001 won an organizing election among drivers at Veolia Transportation, and several years ago, it organized a local at First Transit, which has since merged with Local 1001. For the first time since 1989, when the state started to require RTD to farm out some of its operations to private companies, the drivers and operators of RTD's fixed-route buses and light rail are all union. Under current law, RTD can privatize up to 55 percent of its bus services. "It's almost like a reunion," said Holman Carter, president of Local 1001. "Back in the '80s when we got split up, we didn't have any idea that we'd be successful."
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January 10, 2008

OSHA levies fines in July roof collapse : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/10/osha-levies-fines-in-july-roof...
OSHA has proposed $166,000 in fines against a concrete company after part of a roof collapsed last July during construction on the Landmark Tower luxury condominiums in Greenwood Village. Denver-based Concrete Express Inc. responded in a statement Wednesday that it "vehemently denies" any "willful violation." OSHA levied two "willful violations" - the strongest sanction - citing improper construction and improper shoring and bracing, for a concrete pour on the project between Orchard Road and East Belleview Avenue. Each willful violation carries a $70,000 fine, said Englewood Area Director John Healy. Six other "serious violations" came to $26,000.
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The Denver Post - Concrete firm disputes penalty

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7925773...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants Concrete Express to cough up $166,000 in penalties for the collapse of a concrete floor that injured 13 employees. The Denver subcontractor's employees were pouring concrete on the roof of a Greenwood Village high-rise in July when it collapsed, sending workers tumbling to the floor below. "This employer was well aware of, yet did not comply with, the standards that would have protected employees from the hazards we found during our inspection," said John Healy, OSHA's area office director in Englewood. The company denied the allegations in a release and vowed to fight the charges.
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January 9, 2008

Regulators get back wages for employees : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/09/regulators-get-back-wages-for-...
Federal labor regulators said they have recovered $841,825 in back wages for 348 employees of Golden-based Pason Systems USA Corp. because of violations of U.S. overtime law. The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division said it found the industrial technology company - the U.S. headquarters of Canadian parent Pason Systems Inc. - failed to pay employees overtime for hours worked beyond 40 per week. The investigation also disclosed that bonus payments were not included in the overtime regular rate calculations. Pason Systems USA makes and rents specialized drilling instruments for use on land-based drilling rigs. Greg Lindsay, general manager of Pason Systems USA, said the company had paid the geologists involved in the settlement based on a daily rate of compensation. He called it the industry's historic practice. "Now, we are compensating the geologists on an hourly rate," he said.
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Contractor fined for summer incident : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/09/contractor-fined-for-summer-in...
OSHA has fined the general contractor on a luxury high-rise condominium $48,500 after part of a roof collapsed in July, according to documents. OSHA listed nine citations, some with multiple categories, to the Dallas-based Beck Group, which also does business as Beck Residential. All the citations were listed as "serious." But a spokeswoman for The Landmark project that includes the condo tower noted that the report did not specify why the 30-by-40-foot piece of concrete fell. "It was a freak thing that happened," said Kirsten Hamling. OSHA said Tuesday the report on the incident was not available, but a copy was obtained from Landmark.
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January 7, 2008

The Denver Post - Learning Wash. unions' lessons

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7887041...
Since its first union-negotiated collective-bargaining agreement for state workers took effect in July 2005, Washington has spent or earmarked $3 billion in taxpayer money to cover increases in wages and benefits. The state shelled out $13.9 billion on wages and benefits for about 108,000 workers in fiscal 2006 and 2007, about $1.4 billion more than the previous two years, according to state data. About 70,000 of those workers are represented by unions. Washington expects to spend $1.6 billion more during the next two fiscal years. Another $14 million or so has also been spent to fund a newly created agency, the Labor Relations Office, that negotiates contracts with unions, as well as the growing costs of a separate agency, the Public Employment Relations Commission, which oversees disputes between unions and employers. The expenditures have come amid a healthy state economy and budget surplus. For the most part, Washington has been unscathed by the housing slump that is pounding Colorado and other Western states.
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The Denver Post - Unions look to next leap

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_7898386...
When Gov. Bill Ritter eased the path for organizing state workers in November, he set off just one of the high-profile fights destined to take place here in 2008. Employers and conservative interests also want to place a "right to work" measure on the November ballot. It would make paying union fees voluntary even at workplaces that have voted to unionize and reduce the bargaining power of employees. And there's more: Efforts to broaden health care coverage for all could reward workers but diffuse a key reason workers seek unions. And some Republicans would love to come up with a way to rein in the political fundraising of Democratic-leaning unions; they square off against labor advocates who say their voices are still overwhelmed by corporate money. But the relative power of unions and employers can no longer be tallied in even columns. Numbers say union strength is greatly diminished from a few decades ago. But there are also stories of places where unions are still making life better for Colorado workers.
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January 2, 2008

The Tribune - Restaurant industry braces for impact of minimum wage hike again

http://greeleytrib.com/article/20071231/NEWS/220331052...
Chris Miller works his way through school on tips, plus minimum wage. In January, he will get a raise. The new money isn't much, but Miller is grateful. "It all adds up," said the University of Northern Colorado student, sitting in a booth on a break at Old Chicago, 2349 29th St., where he works as a waiter. "Tips in this area are low too, compared to the national average." On Jan. 1, Colorado's minimum wage will increase by 17 cents to $4 an hour for employees who receive tips. The minimum wage for non-tipped employees will also increase 17 cents to $7.02. Colorado's minimum wage increased last January for the first time since 1997. The passage of Amendment 42 in November 2006 requires the state's minimum wage keep pace with inflation every year -- prior to 2006, tipped employees made a minimum of $2.13 an hour. Colorado State University economics Professor Stephan Weiler said the minimum wage increase will likely have the biggest impact on the restaurant industry because most other businesses in the region already pay above minimum wage to attract qualified workers.
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December 28, 2007

The Longmont Daily Times-Call - Employee death at Butterball plant a ‘tragic accident’

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=5483...
Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials and police are still investigating an accident that claimed the life of a 44-year-old Greeley man Wednesday at the Butterball plant in Longmont. Manuel O. Vega was pronounced dead at Longmont United Hospital on Wednesday night after co-workers found him pinned under the wheel of a tractor trailer at the plant’s parking lot on the 300 block of First Avenue. Longmont Police Cmdr. Craig Earhart said investigators are still trying to determine how long Vega was pinned. The Boulder County Coroner on Thursday determined Vega’s death was accidental asphyxiation.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - Hourly wage goes to $7.02

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/12/27/122807_1a__wage.h...
According to 2005 Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data, the 2006 minimum wage law’s effect on Grand Junction will be minimal. Half of the estimated 3,100 workers who fell into seven job types, including fast food cooks, dishwashers and cafeteria attendants, earned less than $7.02 an hour, the statistics said. Talley said what consumers don’t immediately realize is the ripple effect of mandatory raises. Talley said mandatory wage increases usually encourage employers to offer raises for all workers. That, in turn, is paid for by customers in the form of higher prices. “If I have to pay more, you’re going to get charged more,” he said. “I can’t get paid less and pay people more. It’s a vicious cycle.” Bartender Coco Nishi at Weaver’s Tavern, who said she makes more than the minimum wage, approves of the increase. She said every little bit of extra income helps workers. “It’s really hard for people to make a living,” she said. “It will add up.”
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Frontier sees wealth of ideas in workers : Airlines & Aerospace : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/28/frontier-sees-wealth-of-ideas-...
Frontier Airlines is looking beyond the executive suite for new ideas on how to cut costs, turning to its employees for suggestions. The Denver-based carrier created an e-mail address this month that workers can use to share their ideas, be it something as simple as eliminating free coffee or something more complex, such as taking better advantage of wind during flights to save fuel. While the carrier typically accepts feedback and suggestions from workers, it's now actively encouraging employees to share their ideas - at least on the cost side of the business. "Part of what made us decide to open this mailbox was the response we were already getting from employees," said Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas. "This is a way to corral it into one area to make it more of a formalized program within the company."
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December 20, 2007

Vail Colorado-PETA challenges Denver's Chipotle on chicken

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20071220/NEWS/681207094...
DENVER, Colorado — An animal rights group has submitted a shareholder resolution urging Chipotle Mexican Grill to buy more from suppliers that use what is says is a less cruel form of poultry slaughter. Chipotle said Wednesday that some of its suppliers are considering making the change. PETA owns 65 shares of stock in the Denver-based, fast-casual restaurant chain. It contends Chipotle uses chickens that are hung upside-down by their legs in metal shackles that break their bones before they are shocked with electrified current, have their throats slit while they are still conscious, and are dropped into tanks of scalding water.
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Airline allowed to settle claims : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/20/airline-allowed-to-settle-clai...
A judge has allowed Aspen Executive Air to settle with some of its creditors and continue to control its bankruptcy proceedings. Judge Mary F. Walrath of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., denied a federal official's request Tuesday to convert the company's Chapter 11 case to a Chapter 7 liquidation. The official had argued for the liquidation because she said the settlement benefits a few creditors at the expense of many. The Aspen-based members-only luxury airline said its settlement with three creditors and its bankruptcy lender resolves $61 million worth of claims, which it said "is the overwhelming majority of all known claims."
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