A recently released poll by Washington, D.C.-Based research group WPA Intelligence has found that over two-thirds of voters oppose Senate Bill 005. This bill makes significant changes to Colorado’s labor laws by eliminating the requirement for a second election for workers and employers to discuss negotiating a union security agreement. Colorado is the only state in the country that requires a second election. 

According to the poll, 70% of the 507 likely Colorado voters surveyed opposed removing the second election requirement, while 25% said they supported it and 5% said they weren’t sure. 

Opposition remained relatively constant among all age groups, with 66% of 18-34 year-olds, 70% of 35-64 year-olds and 72% of those 65 and over saying they oppose the bill. 

While Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the bill — 87% said they were against it — Democrats were split nearly down the middle; 43% said they supported the bill, 50% they opposed it, and 7% said they weren’t sure. 

Despite opposition to the bill, union support was high among respondents: 64% said they have a favorable view of unions in general, while 28% said they viewed unions unfavorably and 6% weren’t sure. 

“The cost of living and working in Colorado is too expensive right now,” said J. J. Ament, President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, an opponent of the bill. “To add even more costs by forcing people to pay for memberships in organizations against their will is the wrong direction to go.  The Labor Peace Act strikes the right balance and protects Colorado workers and our economy.”

Participants were also asked about their views on requiring all employees to pay union dues regardless of whether they belong to the union. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they disagreed with this practice. 

Proponents of the bill argued that the poll was inherently flawed. The question posed to respondents incorrectly stated that the second election is required in order to form a union security agreement, but the election simply allows for discussions about union security agreements to happen. 

“This poll was funded by corporate interests with a long history of misleading the public on worker protections, so I’m not buying it,” said Dennis Dougherty, executive director of Colorado AFL-CIO. “Not only does the polling firm have poor credibility ratings, but also they’re under scrutiny for serious misconduct. The current law works great for C-suite billionaires but not for workers. Coloradans are ready to empower workers so they can stand up and level the playing field for better pay and safety.”

Senate Bill 005 will be heard by the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee on Jan. 21. It is sponsored by Sens. Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, and Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, and Reps. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Javier Mabrey, D-Denver.