Worker Protection Collective Bargaining

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule to reduce the budget and staff for the state's labor standards division by $26,865 and 0.2 full-time employees in the 2026-27 fiscal year.

• It cuts $26,865 from the general fund money given to the Department of Labor for program costs related to labor standards.
• It reduces the number of staff members by 0.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in that same department division.
• The bill's title is updated to mention that it includes reducing an appropriation.

• This budget cut only happens if the state passes a separate law approving the 2026-27 general fund appropriations.
• If the original funding for this program in the new year is already less than $26,865 or does not exist at all, no reduction will be made.

Plain English: This amendment changes when parts of the bill take effect by making one section depend on future funding approval.

• The main part of the law starts working immediately after it is passed.
• Section 5 only becomes active if lawmakers approve the state budget for fiscal year 2026-27.
• If Section 5 does become active, it will start on whichever date comes later: when this bill passes or when the new budget law starts.

• The amendment text only describes changes to dates and funding conditions; it does not explain what specific rules are in Section 5.
• It is unclear if the state will actually pass the required budget for fiscal year 2026-27.

Plain English: This amendment would change Colorado law to require that more than 75% of employees in a group must vote for union representation before the union can become their exclusive representative.

• Raises the voting threshold from a simple majority (more than half) to more than seventy-five percent of employees.

• The amendment text does not explain how this change would affect elections where fewer than 75% but more than 50% of workers vote for representation.
• This specific version of the bill was marked as 'Lost', meaning it did not pass in its current form.

Plain English: This amendment would allow workers to refuse union representation and stop paying any fees or dues while still keeping their right to talk directly with their employer about problems.

• Workers can choose not to be represented by the exclusive bargaining representative (the union).
• Workers who refuse representation do not have to pay union membership dues, agency fees, fair share fees, or any other payments to the union.

• This amendment was voted down and did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not explain how a worker formally requests this exemption from their employer or the union.

Plain English: This amendment would require a union to provide a detailed financial report justifying its fees if some employees choose not to be represented by that exclusive representative.

• It adds a new rule stating that if workers elect an exclusive representative but refuse representation, the representative must create and share a financial report.

• The amendment text does not define what specific details must be included in the 'detailed financial report' or how often it must be distributed.
• It is unclear if this rule applies to all types of workers covered by the bill or only specific groups.

Plain English: This amendment would make it illegal for someone to get a job just to start a union or refuse to tell an employer they are part of a union.

• It adds a new rule stating that seeking a job with the specific goal of organizing a union is unfair behavior.
• It makes it unfair if a person helps someone else get hired for the purpose of starting a union.
• It creates a penalty for refusing to tell a potential employer about your connection to a labor union.

• The amendment was marked as 'Lost', meaning this change did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not explain what specific punishments or fines would happen if someone breaks these new rules.

Plain English: This amendment changes when different parts of the bill become law and adds a rule about which worker contracts it covers.

• Section 5 of the bill will only start if lawmakers approve funding for the 2026-27 state budget, taking effect on whichever date is later: the bill's original effective date or the budget act's effective date.
• The rest of the bill would take effect at midnight after a ninety-day waiting period following when the legislature finishes its session in May 2026.
• If citizens file a petition to put this law on a ballot for voters, it will not start until people vote 'yes' on it in November 2026 and the governor officially announces the results.
• The new rules would only apply to worker contracts that are signed or renewed after the specific effective dates mentioned above.

• This amendment was voted down ('Lost') during its second reading, so these changes were not included in the final bill text.
• The exact start date depends on future events like when the legislature adjourns and whether a budget is passed.

Plain English: This amendment adds a new rule requiring agricultural employers to get strong approval from workers before signing an agreement that covers all unions in their workplace.

• It creates a special voting requirement for 'all-union agreements' involving farmworkers and their bosses.
• To approve such an agreement, at least half of all eligible employees must vote yes, or three-quarters of the people who actually cast votes must say yes.
• The rule states that whichever number is higher between those two options becomes the required approval threshold.

• This amendment was voted down and did not become part of the final bill, so these rules were never enacted.
• The text does not define exactly what an 'all-union agreement' is or how it differs from other types of contracts.

Plain English: This amendment sets specific rules and time limits for holding a secret ballot election to decide whether an all-union agreement should be revoked.

• It allows employers or at least 20% of employees to file a petition asking the director to hold an election on revoking an all-union agreement.
• The amendment requires that for the agreement to stay, either more than half of all eligible voters must vote yes, or three-quarters of those who actually voted must say yes, whichever number is higher.
• It sets a strict window for filing petitions between 120 and 105 days before an agreement ends or reaches its third year anniversary.
• The director must finish the election within 60 days before the agreement expires or hits that three-year mark.

• This amendment was marked as 'Lost' in the Senate, meaning it did not pass and is not part of the final law.
• The text contains some confusing capitalization at the end regarding when a vote must happen if three years have passed.

Plain English: This amendment would require small employers with fewer than fifty workers to get a very high level of employee approval before signing an all-union agreement.

• It adds a new rule that applies only to companies employing fewer than fifty people.
• These smaller employers can sign an 'all-union' contract only if employees vote for it in a secret ballot supervised by the Director.
• The deal must be approved by either more than half of all eligible workers or at least three-fourths of the workers who actually cast a vote, whichever number is higher.

• This amendment was voted down and did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not define exactly what an 'all-union agreement' means in this context.

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule requiring small employers to get strong employee approval before signing an all-union agreement.

• It creates a new exception for employers with less than $10 million in annual revenue from the previous year.
• These smaller employers can only sign an 'all-union' contract if employees vote yes by secret ballot under state supervision.
• The approval must come from either more than half of all eligible voters or at least three-fourths of those who actually cast a vote, whichever number is higher.

• This amendment was voted down and did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not define exactly what an 'all-union agreement' means or how it differs from other contracts.

Plain English: This amendment would require new workplaces to get a strong vote from employees before they can sign an agreement that forces all workers to join the union.

• It adds a special rule for employers whose workplace has existed for less than ten years.
• These newer employers must hold a secret ballot election supervised by the Director if they want to make an 'all-union' agreement.
• The agreement can only happen if at least half of all eligible employees vote yes, or three-fourths of the people who actually voted say yes, whichever number is higher.

• This amendment was lost and did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not define exactly what an 'all-union agreement' means in this context.
• It only applies to workplaces less than ten years old, so older businesses are not affected by these new voting rules.