Vote likely on city union issue

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

A ballot issue seeking to give city employees the right to unionize and demand binding arbitration appears to be headed to a June 10 special election.

Proponents submitted petitions with an estimated 15,000 signatures to the Fort Collins City Clerk's office for verification on Jan. 22.

If the present validity rate holds, Chief Deputy Clerk Rita Harris said the petitioners should meet the 8,894-signature threshold required to call a special election. If not, they still would have 15 days to gather additional signatures.

"I suspect they will probably make it," said Harris.

The petitions were delivered following an informal press conference in the city hall lobby. It was attended by Workers of America Local 7707 President Don Sheridan, organizer Rosemary Sheridan, Northern Colorado Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 President Scott Goff and a group of Fort Collins Light and Power employees who had just completed their shifts.

Rosemary Sheridan said the organizers believe citizens will agree that city employees should have the same right to collective bargaining as any other worker in the public or private sector. Fort Collins voters already gave police the right to unionize but rejected a measure allowing them to call for binding arbitration.

The proposed charter amendment would not automatically unionize workers, she stressed. It instead puts into place the rights and procedures should workers choose to organize.

"It's fair to the city. It's fair to the citizens and, most importantly, it's fair to the employees," she said.

Don Sheridan defended the need for the $100,000 special election, saying that it was necessary because the city council refused his request to discuss the issue.

Lineman Marc Smith said the amendment is needed to retain the exceptional, long-term employees Fort Collins typically has attracted. "We're interested in keeping that level of service," he said.

"We've been losing the quality employees we've already trained," maintained Mark Abrams.

Light and Power lost 18 employees in one year concurred co-worker Mike Rowton.

"We don't want to go to binding arbitration any more than the city council wants to," said Goff. But he said that potential is necessary to ensure the city negotiates in good faith.

"Collective begging is no better than we've got now," he said.