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Frequently Asked Questions about Amendment 47
What is Amendment 47?
Amendment 47 is a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution. The Right to Work Amendment will give workers in the state the right to choose for themselves whether or not to join a union, and will prohibit the current practice of requiring workers to join a union as a condition of employment.
What is the status of the Right to Work Amendment?
On April 28 2008, the Secretary of State verified the Right to Work Amendment. It will appear on the November 4, 2008 General Election ballot as Amendment 47.
Why does Colorado need Amendment 47?
Under Colorado law, workers can be forced to join a union to get or keep a job. Some companies in Colorado have what is called a “closed shop” – meaning that union membership is compulsory for certain jobs. This unfair practice limits employment opportunities for many workers and is an unfair infringement upon their freedoms. And, based on the results in the 22 states that have adopted Right to Work laws, Amendment 47 will also strengthen Colorado’s economy and create jobs.
Don’t workers already have the right to choose whether or not to join a union?
Not in Colorado – many companies, through their collective bargaining agreements with unions, require union membership as a condition of employment for certain jobs. The Taft-Hartley Act, passed by Congress in 1947, left it up to the states to decide whether companies could operate “union shops” and thus require union membership as a condition of employment. In the years since the passage of Taft-Hartley, 22 states have outlawed this practice. Amendment 47 will make Colorado the 23rd state to protect the freedom of workers to choose for themselves whether or not to join a union.
Does Amendment 47 belong in the Colorado Constitution?
A worker who is forced to join a union as a condition of employment is denied the freedom to choose for his or herself. This limits a worker’s choices and limits his or her freedoms as a citizen of Colorado and the United States. While it hasn’t always been the case, Colorado’s Constitution should be amended only for important matters affecting the basic freedoms of its citizens, and the right to work without being forced to join a union should to be a constitutionally guaranteed right.
Is Amendment 47 anti-union?
Amendment 47 is not anti-union, it’s anti- “forced union.” Amendment 47 protects the right to organize a union, the right to belong to a union, the right to strike and the right to collective bargaining. All it does is remove the requirement that workers must join a union as a condition of employment. Union bosses may worry that some workers will decide not to belong and pay dues to a union that is underperforming. If anything, Amendment 47 may strengthen some unions since they will have to deliver results for their members rather than simply relying on the dues of workers who are forced into membership as a condition of employment.
How does Amendment 47 protect worker paychecks?
A provision in the Right to Work Amendment prevents unions from spending their members’ money on political causes without their consent. Today, unions are far more likely to spend their membership dues on politics than on negotiating for better wages and working conditions. In fact, studies have shown that as much as eighty percent of union spending for some unions goes to political campaigns, political causes and other purposes not related to negotiating with employers on workplace issues.1 The Right to Work Amendment will stop the unfair practice of forcing workers to pay dues that support political causes without their consent.
What impact will Amendment 47 have on Colorado’s economy?
Amendment 47 will be an economic engine for Colorado, spurring the creation of new and better paying jobs and attracting businesses to the state. States that have adopted right to work laws have seen an increase in economic development and jobs. From 2001 to 2006, right to work states increased payrolls by 6.4 percent, vs. 2.9 percent in non- right to work states.2 Moreover, right to work states have lower unemployment rates than non- right to work states and have shown faster income growth as well.
Who is A Better Colorado?
A Better Colorado is an issue committee organized under Colorado Election Law with the purpose of passing the Colorado Right to Work Amendment. A Better Colorado is a broad-based coalition of businesses, workers and concerned citizens who believe that all Coloradans deserve the right to choose for themselves whether or not to join a union without the risk of losing or not getting a job.
How many Coloradans are union members?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 there were approximately 165,000 union members in Colorado, equal to about eight (8) percent of the workforce.3
If I’m not in a union, why should I care about Amendment 47?
All Colorado citizens should be concerned that workers in Colorado are denied the freedom to choose whether or not to join a union. And Coloradans should be concerned about keeping jobs in the state and attracting more businesses in the future – the Right to Work Amendment will protect the rights of all employees and will strengthen the state’s economy.
What are the unions doing in response to Amendment 47?
Union bosses in Colorado and in Washington, D.C. are threatened by Amendment 47 because they worry that without forced union membership, many of their members would choose to leave a union or demand more accountability from union leadership. As a result, the unions have threatened to file numerous “counter measures” in an effort to dissuade right to work supporters from putting the Right to Work Amendment on the ballot. Many of these “counter measures” are designed to hurt businesses in the state with little regard to how it will affect Colorado’s economy or jobs. It appears that these union bosses would much rather threaten the state with ballot measures that would kill jobs than debate why they are against giving workers the freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. In the end, the voters will decide this issue at the ballot box on November 4, 2008.
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