Gov. Bill Ritter signed an executive order Thursday restoring a rule overturned by his predecessor that allowed state employees to pay union dues through payroll deductions.
“It is a really good day when we get the payroll deduction reinstated because it actually saves a lot of time and effort on the part of employees who have to find other ways to make their dues payments,” said Jo Romero, president of the Colorado Federation of Public Employees.
The union lost about 10 percent of its members after Republican Gov. Bill Owens issued an executive order in 2001 that eliminated the deductions.
Ritter, a Democrat, ran on a pro-labor platform but angered the state’s unions when he vetoed a pro-labor bill recently.
Evan Dreyer, Ritter’s spokesman, said the governor wasn’t trying to make up to labor by signing the order.
“This was something that was important to the governor because it is something that is important to state employees,” Dreyer said. “He has been talking about this for a very long time.”
The CFPE, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and other unions sued Owens and the state department of personnel, saying Owens’ order was improper. The lawsuit, which made it to the state Supreme Court before being remanded to Denver District Court, has cost the state more than $140,000.
Owens’ office argued that the order merely implemented a 1996 law, signed by former Gov. Roy Romer, that was never enacted. The law gave authority to the personnel department to determine what payroll deductions state employees could take.
“We lost all of our membership the day that went into effect,” said Romero, whose union has 1,200 members. “We had to go out and recruit all of our members and get them to re-sign and establish other ways of paying their dues.”
Ritter’s order must go through an administrative process that includes a public hearing. The rule would take effect in August.
The unions won’t drop their suit right away, Romero said.
“We don’t want to be hasty and withdraw,” he said. “We have learned in the past to wait until the soup is done.”
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.
