A union group has submitted open-records requests in at least three metro cities seeking employees’ work information in a possible attempt at expanding municipal union membership.
The local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an offshoot of the AFL-CIO, submitted the requests this month in Aurora, Arvada and Commerce City, officials there confirmed. The AFSCME may have asked for those records in several other cities as well.
The group is seeking names, job titles, hire dates, work addresses, work e-mail addresses and home ZIP codes, in addition to departmental organizational charts and all ordinances and rules related to the establishment of employee-labor organizations.
Dave Paladino, a communications specialist with the AFSCME, said he was not aware of the requests and said it would be difficult to get someone to speak about the group’s intent on Christmas week.
“I don’t have any information about that,” he said.
The local AFL-CIO did not return calls for comment.
But with the economy down in the dumps and Colorado voters defeating anti-union measures in the November election, some say unions are targeting the state.
“Colorado is looked at as an open territory,” said Gary Chaison, professor of labor relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. “I think AFSCME recognizes with the recession, employees are going to face layoffs and have insecurities. AFSCME realizes that’s a fertile territory out West.”
He said he was not personally aware of the request by the AFSCME but said it would make sense, given what happened recently at the polls and an economy that has workers fearful of losing their jobs.
Colorado voters defeated several amendments that were perceived as anti-union, including Amendments 47 and 49. Gov. Bill Ritter also signed an executive order granting some union rights to state workers.
Now, some believe, union groups are going after the public sector at the local-government level.
“There’s a massive growth in organized labor, not in the private sector but going after the low-hanging fruit in the public sector,” said Jon Caldera, president of the conservative Independence Institute think tank in Golden that supported the anti-union measures defeated at the polls.
Randy Rawlings, a director of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, was not aware of the AFSCME’s interest in the metro area but said it could be a positive for those entities if those employees decide to unionize.
“Anytime somebody can go union, it’s good,” Rawlings said. “There is certainly better wages and benefits and more job security in these tough economic times.”
Aurora City Attorney Charlie Richardson confirmed that the city received an open-records request by the AFSCME on Friday. His legal team is researching what it can release to the group. Mike Polk, deputy city attorney for Arvada, also said the city received the same request from the AFSCME. Commerce City officials received the request Friday as well.
Aurora already has unions for police and firefighters but not for the general workforce, which is about 1,600 employees in the city of 310,000 residents, said human resources director Kin Shuman.
Unions bargain for pay and benefits with employers and also represent employees during the grievance process.
“Obviously, from my perspective, it’s clear national labor leaders have their sights set on Colorado,” said Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier, co-author of Amendment 47, which would have prevented mandatory union fees as a condition of employment. “My goal is to do right by our employees and trust them to make the right choices.”
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
