Joe Biden backs right of state employees to organize as Colorado bill heads to Polis' desk

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that he supports the ability of public employees in Colorado to bargain collectively, issuing a statement  the day after Democrats gave final approval on a party-line vote to a bill to allow state workers to unionize.

Biden, the former vice president and presumptive presidential nominee, said in a statement: "When public workers have a strong voice we have a more robust government. I support the public employees fighting for their rights in Colorado and all across the country. My Administration will not only defend workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively but also encourage it. Strengthening public and private sector unions will grow a stronger, more inclusive middle class — the backbone of our country.”

Biden's words coincided with final action on House Bill 1153, the Colorado Partnership For Quality Jobs And Services Act, which would allow some 28,000 state workers to negotiate wages, benefits and workplace safety.

The legislation now awaits a signature from Gov. Jared Polis, who has indicated he supports it.

Legislature

Senate debate on state employee collective bargaining bill

• Marianne Goodland, Colorado Politics

Before the House approved Senate amendments to the bill Wednesday, Republican lawmakers complained that the state couldn't afford its cost, estimated at $2.28 million, when the legislature is facing billions of dollars in cuts as the economy worsens.

Biden's expression of support for the measure is the second time a Democratic presidential candidate has called attention to the bill this year.

Before the legislature suspended operation in March due to the growing coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of Biden's former Democratic primary rivals, tweeted her support in January, calling the bill "a huge step forward."

Legislature

Bill to allow unionized state employees to collective bargaining wins preliminary OK from House

• Marianne Goodland, Colorado Politics

"I stand with @CoWINSpolitics in the fight for collective bargaining rights," Warren wrote in a tweet. "It's time to rewrite the rules to strengthen the voices of workers."