DENVER—Gov. Bill Ritter continues to face opposition from unions as his re-election campaign picks up.
Ritter faced a silent protest on Sunday from members of two unions during a dedication ceremony in Ludlow—the scene of one of the nation’s most violent labor conflicts in 1914. The Pueblo Chieftain reported that some firefighters and members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents grocery store workers, turned their backs to Ritter as he spoke.
Last week, Colorado firefighters followed Ritter to Washington and protested outside a fundraiser.
Firefighters are angry because Ritter vetoed a bill that would have allowed them to unionize without getting local approval. He also vetoed a bill sought by grocery store workers—now locked in contract talks—which would have allowed them to collect unemployment benefits if they were locked out by the companies. Grocery workers locked out in 1996 qualified for unemployment but then law was changed at the urging of retailers. The UCFW says the current law makes it virtually impossible for workers to qualify for benefits.
Ritter is the only Democrat in the 2010 race right now. Former congressman Scott McInnis of Grand Junction and Evergreen businessman Dan Maes are the only Republicans officially in the race so far. Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, who worked as an aide to McInnis in Washington, is also considering a run.
It’s not clear how the deep the divisions with unions are.
Mike Cerbo, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO—which represents 160 unions statewide—said some member unions are very upset over the vetoes but a decision on whether to endorse Ritter or not won’t be made until its statewide convention next spring. One of the main bills the AFL-CIO worked on with Democratic lawmakers was signed into law by Ritter. It will use federal stimulus money to expand unemployment benefits to low-wage and temporary workers.
“It’s unfortunate that a good bill like got overshadowed by those vetoes,” he said.
UCFW associate legal counsel Crisanta Duran said union members haven’t made a final decision of which candidate to support. She said they were open to talking to any candidate from any political party “who will take action—not just make promises—to support working families.”
Union member Andrea Karr, an unaffiliated voter who works at a Safeway in Englewood, said she voted for Ritter in 2006 but wouldn’t vote for him again if the election were held tomorrow. By vetoing the lockout bill, she said Ritter sent a message to companies that it was OK to lock out workers and hurt people who live paycheck to paycheck.
“If he didn’t receive a paycheck for a week, I’m sure he could continue to pay his bills,” she said.
Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said the conflict involves two unions and that Ritter has supported working families during the last three years.
“We have much more common ground and much more to agree on than we disagree on,” he said.
Independent pollster Floyd Ciruli said the union controversy makes Ritter appear weak at a time when incumbents want to be able to impress on challengers that they are ready to mount strong campaigns and raise a lot of money. With no independent wealth or a lot of rich friends, Ciruli said, it would hurt Ritter to lose union campaign contributions and organizing. He said unions unhappy with Ritter could back a rival candidate or simply sit out the race.
But Ciruli said things could change when they compare Ritter to an actual Republican challenger rather than their ideal of a governor.
“At some point they’ll have to have some serious conversations. But there’s still time,” he said.
