Polis under pressure over labor bill as debate over workers’ rights heats up

To no one's surprise, Polis vetoes bill making it easier to form unions in Colorado

The bill would have made it easier for workers in Colorado to unionize.

Gov. Jared Polis vetoes pro-union bill backed by Democratic lawmakers, repeating his hope for compromise

Gov. Jared Polis made good Friday on his threat to veto a pro-union bill backed by every legislative Democrat and the state’s labor organizations, a move that’s likely to deepen the governor’s rift with key parts of the party’s coalition and set up a 2026 ballot fight. Polis’ office announced his rejection of Senate Bill 5 on Friday afternoon, 10 days after it cleared the legislature. In his veto letter, the governor said he was open to changing…

Jared Polis isn’t worried about the political consequences of vetoing Senate Bill 5

Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul talks to Gov. Jared Polis at The Sun’s 2025 Legislative Session Recap at The University of Denver on Thursday. (Eric Lubbers, The Colorado Sun) Gov. Jared Polis said he’s not worried about the consequences for his future political ambitions of bucking the Colorado labor movement when he vetoes Senate Bill 5, which would have abolished a requirement in the Colorado Labor Peace Act that 75% of workers at a company …

These bills on labor issues passed the Colorado Legislature in 2025

Labor advocates rallied outside the Governor's Residence in Denver to urge Gov. Jared Polis to sign Senate Bill 25-5, the Worker Protection Act, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)Colorado’s 2025 legislative session exposed some sharp fault lines within the Democratic Party when it comes to labor issues. Though Democrats hold solid majorities in both the state Senate and the House of Representatives, measures backed by p…

This new model for worker organizing could supercharge today’s labor movement

Labor’s decline over the past half century has devastated working-class communities, undermined democracy, and deepened the grip of big business over our work lives, our political system, and our planet,” Eric Blanc writes in his new book, We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing Is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big. “To turn this around, we need tens of millions more people forming, joining, and transforming unions”; however, to achie…

Colorado workers urge Gov. Jared Polis to sign bill on choosing doctors for injuries sustained at work

Workers from around the state and members of a nonprofit organization focused on workers' compensation reform are urging Gov. Jared Polis to sign a bill allowing individuals injured at work to choose the doctor to treat them for their injuries…