State Rep. Mike Cerbo announced Monday he is “expected to become” the next executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO.
Cerbo, a Democrat who represented central and west Denver for 4 1/2 years in the Colorado legislature, resigned from the position Monday.
He said he will start this week in the union post and that his first priority will be to listen to workers.
“Meeting with people, pulling the movement together in the state is a priority,” said Cerbo.
The national AFL-CIO took over leadership of the state organization in January, saying friction between top officials threatened political gains that labor has made in the state.
An advisory committee then recommended that chapter president Steve Adams and his second-in-command, Paul Mendrick, be replaced with an executive director.
“One of my main missions will be to get things in order so we can exit trusteeship,” Cerbo said.
An 18-member committee made up of representatives of state-chapter affiliates was responsible for coming up with a new executive director this summer.
Officials in the Colorado AFL-CIO leadership could not be reached for comment on the selection of an executive director.
Cerbo, however, said he may start as early as today. He said he has 24 years of labor-union experience, including working as the business manager for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 14.
He said health care, quality jobs and job security are top priorities for workers.
Cerbo added that he has been involved in union negotiations in the past, including lobbying with hotel managers to stay neutral when workers wanted to organize.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-954-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
