Business and labor leaders addressed several dozen members of the City Club of Denver on Tuesday in an effort to inform and sway them on several competing measures set to appear on the November ballot.
In what could be the start of a flurry of such forums, each side painted the other’s measures as potentially devastating to their livelihood.
Todd Vitale, campaign manager for the business-backed Coloradans for Responsible Reform, said measures such as Amendment 53, which seeks to hold executives criminally liable for corporate wrongdoings, could have a “chilling effect” on businesses and the Colorado economy.
If passed, executives who know their company is breaking the law but don’t report it could be criminally charged. Vitale said knowledge of wrongdoings isn’t black and white, which could lead to costly legal battles.
Carmen Rhodes, who spoke on behalf of the union-backed Protect Colorado’s Future, said three proposed business measures have put workers up against a wall, threatening their right to organize and collectively bargain.
The most contentious of the business measures is Amendment 47, the right-to-work initiative. Under federal law, unions can force workers in all-union shops to pay representation fees if they’re not a formal member. States can enact right-to-work laws to prohibit such arrangements.
Denver political analyst Floyd Ciruli warned that having so many initiatives on the ballot could confuse voters.
“These decisions are going to be made in a haphazard way,” Ciruli said.
The City Club of Denver was founded in 1922 to inform members on key issues.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com
