With his administration barely a month old, Gov. Bill Ritter on Friday vetoed a union organizing bill that had sparked heated political battles and threatened to sour the tone of cooperation he’s sought at the statehouse.
It was a tough choice for the new governor but a wise one. The courage he showed augurs well for his leadership.
Ritter said that as a former union member he supported the substance of House Bill 1072, which would have made it easier to set up all-union workplaces.
But he said he strongly disagreed with the way it was pushed through the Democratic-controlled legislature without substantive input from anyone except organized labor.
“I strongly believe that the way we do the people’s business is as important as what we do,” Ritter said. “And I am obligated to judge legislation by its consequences, intended and unintended.”
We agree. While the veto will disappoint union leaders and some of Ritter’s fellow Democrats, he also had words of criticism for the measure’s opponents.
He said “I know that members of my own party in the legislature stood firm in the face of outrageous, unprecedented and shameful partisan rhetoric done only for political sport.”
Colorado AFL-CIO President Steve Adams said he was disappointed that “Ritter would commit to us and at the last minute change his mind.
“It sends the message that if you act like spoiled children like the business community did, he will acquiesce,” said Adams.
Democratic leaders said they would not try to override the veto, which is a smart move. Sen. Peter Groff, the Senate’s president pro-tem, said he’s disappointed by the veto because he believed the bill was an effort to protect working families. But, he said there are several bills that are far more critical, such as the discount prescription drug plan signed by Ritter on Monday.
Ritter repeatedly called for responsible and collaborative government throughout his campaign for governor. But, HB 1072 sparked the very sort of partisan attacks that Ritter warned against before taking office.
In his inaugural address, he called for “setting aside the overheated rhetoric of partisan politics” and working together.
The bill was pushed through the first week in the session, catching Ritter and the business community off guard. Ritter has made economic development a top priority, and the business community blamed him for deceiving them.
“I committed in my first State of the State speech just a few weeks ago, and I promised the people of Colorado over the last two years, that I would work tirelessly to bridge traditional divides, to bring together groups that often find themselves at odds: Republicans and Democrats, business and labor…,” Ritter said in his veto message.
The bottom line for Ritter was that the controversy was dangerous to the underlying spirit of his agenda, “threatening our goals and sinking us into cynical politics.”
Ritter told reporters Friday afternoon that his message to both Democrats and Republicans is “we’re going to do things differently.”
Lawmakers would be wise to heed the message and get down to the serious work that the voters elected them to do.
