A labor organization is making auto-dialed calls to Denver voters urging them to call Mayor John Hickenlooper’s office in support of a proposed “worker retention” ordinance.
The telephone calls are the latest salvo over the measure, which would require winning bidders on city service projects to keep all current employees on the job for at least 90 days.
Monday, the Denver City Council delayed a crucial vote on the proposal. The council sent the proposed ordinance, championed by Councilman Chris Nevitt, back to a committee for further discussion in May.
Business leaders have said forcing businesses to retain workers would increase costs and create unnecessary bureaucracy. Labor leaders dispute that costs would rise and say the proposal would cut recruitment and training costs.
The calls from the Service Employees International Union feature a window washer at Denver International Airport saying the proposed ordinance would give him needed protections.
SEIU officials said the robocalls were done at minimal cost.
Sue Cobb of the mayor’s office said it had received 193 calls from citizens since the SEIU campaign began.
The mayor could end up playing a crucial role in the matter. Last week, Nevitt said a majority of the council supports the proposal but not the nine necessary to override a mayoral veto.
The mayor has declined to say whether he would issue a veto, but he has urged Nevitt to sideline the issue, calling it an unnecessary, divisive distraction.
Friday, the mayor met with members of SEIU, who urged him to support the measure, which is modeled after similar “worker retention” policies and laws in place in cities such as Los Angeles.
The members told the mayor that when a new firm landed the contract for custodial work at the Colorado History Museum and Judicial Center last year, the custodians that worked for the previous contractor were all fired.
They also stressed that in 1992, window washers at the old Stapleton International Airport lost their jobs when a new contractor was hired, generating months of controversy.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
