The United States of America was built on the principles of individual liberty and personal responsibility. Amendment 47 is a measure that upholds and promotes both of these ideals.
Individual liberty, in part, says that all Americans should be free to choose with whom we associate ourselves. We choose our friends, of course, and we also choose which private organizations to join.
For example, many people choose to join a chamber of commerce, the National Rifle Association, or perhaps Greenpeace. Agree or disagree with an organization, the important part is that every single member of these organizations has voluntarily joined and voluntarily paid money to do so.
Under current law in Colorado, however, thousands of people do not have this choice that seems so fundamental to our American fabric. In certain union workplaces in our state, many workers are forced to pay dues to a labor union in order to get or keep a job.
Amendment 47, known as the Colorado Right to Work Amendment, will make it illegal for union bosses to compel their workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. It does not forbid it, either. It simply ensures that union membership or the payment of dues to a labor union must be done on a voluntary basis.
By preserving a worker’s fundamental right to associate with whom he or she chooses without exception, Amendment 47 will promote individual liberty in our state.
Personal responsibility, in part, is the notion that as individuals in a free society, we must be held accountable for our individual actions. For example, if I’m a business owner, I must produce a high-quality product or service at a reasonable price. If not, my business fails. That’s not only personal responsibility, but it’s also a free-market principle.
Imagine that you open a restaurant, and every person living in your community must eat at your restaurant at least once a month. You have the ability to serve lower-quality food at higher prices, and your customers can’t do anything about it.
Of course this would never happen at your local restaurant, but oddly, many union bosses in Colorado have this luxury. By being able to force its workers to pay union dues, whether those workers want to or not, some union bosses operate in an absence of accountability. An obsession with perpetuating power and political influence at the expense of their members is too often the result.
Amendment 47 will guarantee that every union leader in Colorado remains personally accountable to each and every one of his members.
Just like restaurants must produce a high-quality product at a reasonable price, Amendment 47 will ensure that union leaders provide the best possible representation to their members at a reasonable cost.
By ensuring that union bosses have to earn their customers, not just be entitled to them, Amendment 47 will promote personal responsibility in our state.
Amendment 47 is a common-sense measure that will move Colorado closer to what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the United States of America. It fits easily within the blueprint that was the guide to building and preserving a Republic that has endured for well over 200 years.
In short, Amendment 47 is a measure that will empower the individual and increase accountability for those in power.
It’s a measure that deserves a yes vote, and it’s a measure I strongly endorse.
Bill Armstrong is a former U.S. senator from Colorado.
