Jobs and Labor

Colorado Professional Fire Fighters fight fire -- and opposition -- with money

Think firefighters want Senate Bill 25, which would allow collective bargaining, to go through the Colorado Legislature? According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters group was the single-biggest donor to current legislators in 2011-12, pouri ... More >>

Cannabis Business Association thinks MMJ industry too young to unionize

Update:After the announcement that Budding Health medical marijuana centers are unionizing, we reached out to the Cannabis Business Association, whose president, Bob Hoban, had said last year it was premature to mandate labor pacts in such a young industry. We've now spoken to Shawn Coleman, interim ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Cheesecake Lady not buying into the Union just yet

​On October 17, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union announced that it was teaming up to represent employees of the medical marijuana industry in Colorado. Union organizer Mark Belkin said he'd seen overwhelming support for the move, but his enthusiasm now seems to be a ... More >>

Medical marijuana & unions: Cannabis Business Alliance says it's too soon to organize industry

​News that the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 had organized medical marijuana workers turned out to be less sweeping than it first seemed. Only staffers at several Fort Collins dispensaries have joined, with the UFCW's contributions to fighting an MMJ dispensary ban there likely in ... More >>

Medical marijuana workers joining UFCW Local 7: Is weed a growth area for unions?

Mark Belkin.​The conflict between federal and state laws present a challenge to the medical marijuana industry, as last week's DEA raid on the Cherry Top Farms dispensary demonstrates. But there's also growing institutional acceptance, illustrated by today's press conference announcing the uni ... More >>

Listeria hysteria: Paid Sick Leave backers allude to outbreak in sick campaign literature

The listeria outbreak that's killed at least thirteen people has been traced to cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Holly. While the FDA has been looking for the cause of the contamination there, the feds have never suggested that the problem was sick workers. But that hasn't stopped the Yes on 300 camp ... More >>

Paid Sick and Safe Time proposal has Denver restaurateurs feeling ill

​Denver restaurateurs are some of the most generous people in town, donating food, labor and cash to all the good causes forever hitting them up. But while the idea of a generous paid time-off policy for employees sounds good in theory, restaurant owners -- and former restaurant owners, like ... More >>

Restaurateurs feeling sick about Denver's Paid Sick and Safe Time initiative

​Denver restaurateurs are some of the most generous people in town, forever contributing food, labor and cash to worthy causes and charity events. Many are also very generous to their employees -- but they like coming up with policies that work for their unique, often small businesses, not get ... More >>

Inside the NFL lockout: Key details in an upcoming deal?

To show he was a union man, De Smith used to wear a hard hat at all times, until he realized how humorously his head is shaped.​With the NFL lockout and its accompanying hand-wringing now stretching out into what experts estimate is its billionth month, it seems the tides are turning, with a c ... More >>

Inside Job: Denver's Career Service Authority watches out for employee trouble, but who watches out for trouble in the CSA?

Job creation is the goal of the State Fair Job Fair: Kenny Be's Worst-Case Scenario

Slight changes to the scheduled attractions at the annual Colorado State Fair in Pueblo could transform the dated farm show into a much needed economy-boosting job fair...​ Big experience, extreme references and speed résumé would be the three main events at the State Fair Job Fair Olympics ... More >>

Race to the Top: Union opts out of Phase 2 in beef with education commissioner Dwight Jones

Education commissioner Dwight Jones's op-ed got poor grades from the CEA.​Update, 1:30 p.m., April 15: This blog, originally published yesterday afternoon, has been updated to reflect the comments of Education Commissioner Dwight Jones. A union that represents 40,000 teachers in Colorado is a ... More >>

Hackers break into UFCW Local 7 system, send message attacking new president Kim Cordova

Not every UFCW Local 7 member is a big Kim Cordova fan.​As documented in Melanie Asmar's December feature "Can a Mild-Mannered Grocery Clerk Solve the Grocery Workers' Labor Strife?," United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 has been rocked by a power struggle between supporters of previous ... More >>

Can a mild-mannered bakery clerk solve the grocery workers' labor strife?

Who is the city laying off to balance its budget?

​Today marks the last day of work for 176 city employees who were laid off in order to help close a $160 million gap in Denver's budget. (Read this Denver Post story by reporter Christopher Osher for more.) Most of the layoffs -- the equivalent of 108.5 positions -- occurred in two city depa ... More >>

Read the letter from a King Soopers exec threatening a lockout if union workers strike Safeway

​Yesterday, in the wake of a negotiating breakdown between Safeway and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, King Soopers employees were given a letter attributed to Dave Savage, vice president of retail operations for the firm. The document accuses the union of "recklessly pursuing a co ... More >>

Xcel Energy, others accused of OSHA violations in incident that killed five

​In October 2007, five employees of RPI Coating Inc. were killed by carbon monoxide generated by a fire at the Cabin Creek Hydro Plant outside Georgetown that's operated by Xcel Energy and Public Service Company of Colorado. Now, a federal grand jury has issued indictments against RPI, Xcel, P ... More >>

Senator Morgan Carroll tries to explain Pinnacol

Senator Morgan Carroll.​Senator Morgan Carroll, an Aurora Democrat who heads the interim committee looking into the 800-pound gorilla known as Pinnacol Assurance, knows plenty about the enterprise, which the Denver Business Journal describes as a "state political subdivision that operates as a ... More >>

If you're reading this in your pajamas, there may be hope yet

Psst. Hey lady. Grab your resume. There may be hope for you after all. The number of Colorado companies executing large numbers of jobs at once is falling, the Denver Business Journal reports this morning, a sign that slightly less sucky times may lie ahead: (T)he number of Colorado workers le ... More >>

Grocery-workers union recalls Soopers' first King

The contract dispute involving workers at King Soopers, Safeway and Albertsons has been quiet of late, with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7 seeking to maintain member loyalty during this period via releases about, for example, pension reductions that would go into ef ... More >>

It's quiet on the potential grocery store strike or lockout front

The latest contract extension between King Soopers and workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local #7 expired at midnight on May 30. But as of this writing, at least, nothing much has happened. It's been clear for weeks that neither management nor labor really want a ... More >>

Grocery-workers union ratchets up web presence prior to possible strike

Yesterday, King Soopers employees represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local No. 7 rejected the chain's latest proposal, laying the groundwork for a potential May 9 strike. Taking such an action in this employment environment is risky, as witnessed by the long lines of folks ... More >>

Source: 23 more layoffs at Clear Channel Denver

G-Man with Rocky, the Nuggets' mascot. A reliable source reveals that 23 part-time or fulltime employees at Clear Channel Denver were laid off today as part of the San Antonio-based firm's second series of cuts this year. (The number is confirmed by KOA Morning News host Steffan Tubbs on his Twitte ... More >>

Are unions gunning for Ryan Frazier because of his Amendment 47?

Has the other shoe finally dropped for up-and-coming Republican Ryan Frazier? The Aurora city councilman made headlines - as well as enemies - for sponsoring the controversial "right to work" ballot measure Amendment 47 this past November, and even though it lost at the polls, unions, many of which ... More >>

Ryan Frazier puts his job on the line with Amendment 47

Day Five: Wherein I Resolve to Become a Hollywood Script Scab and Man-Whore

Job Search

Best Place to Dress for Success

Men at Work Suits Closet

Adding Insult to Injury

Pinnacol Assurance, the state's largest workers' compensation provider, today boasts healthy profits -- and workers have paid the price.

Talking Dirty

Denver's janitors were being swept aside. Now they're winning respect.

Bring It On

Despite union efforts, Wal-Mart is not a cheer-ocracy.

A Healthy Paycheck

Denver Health may cut services, but its execs won't feel the pain.

Language Barrier

Colorado Central Station Casino takes a hit over an English-only policy.

Check-out Time

The hotel union isn't about to let Denver forget the Adam's Mark.

Company Town

In Pueblo, the iron will of a union has proved tougher than steel.

Look for the Union URL

At the federal supermax, it isn't just the inmates who think management is unfair.

Organized Chaos

The labor movement at Swedish Medical Center could be catching.

No Labor Lost

Ellen Golombek plays rough with the Capitol bosses.

Off Limits

Janitors in a Conundrum

A bitter labor dispute envelops the Denver Tech Center.

Union Busted

A young woman gets $200,000 to settle a lawsuit against a union concerning a sexual assault.

Up the Organization

Upstart Jack Hawkins tries to win control of the state AFL-CIO.

An Unholy Union

A young labor organizer was sexually assaulted by a colleague. Was Local 7 to blame?

Sorry, Wrong Number

Still Hurting

Injured workers have borne the brunt of workers' comp "reform" in Colorado.

Labor Pangs

AFSCME mounts another attempt to unionize Denver city workers.

LABOR PAINS

AN EX-LAWYER FOR THE TEAMSTERS HAS A CAR WINDOW BLOWN OUT BY A PIPE BOMB.

THE BIG HURT

TRUTH IS THE FIRST CASUALTY IN THE POLITICAL WAR OVER AMENDMENT 11.

THE CASTLE ON THE HILL

IT WAS MAN VERSUS MACHINE. AND THE ARISTOCRATS OF LABOR LOST.THE LAST OF THEIR TYPE RESIDENTS OF THE UNION PRINTERS HOME LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION.

MINDING THE STORE

THEY DON'T MAKE BOMBS ANYMORE AT ROCKY FLATS. BUT THE PLANT IS AS DANGEROUS AS EVER.