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Governor Ritter Vetoes SB 180,
Collective Bargaining
June 4, 2009 - This afternoon, Gov. Bill Ritter
vetoed
SB 09-180, which
would have imposed collective bargaining on
municipalities, fire authorities, and fire
protection districts with more than 50 employees.
Following is a statement issued by the Governor’s
Office on the Governor’s Veto of SB 09-180.
Gov. Ritter Statement on Senate Bill 180 Veto
Gov. Bill Ritter today vetoed Senate Bill 09-180,
"Concerning collective bargaining by employees of
public safety agencies."
"I join all Coloradans who honor and value the
dangerous work of firefighters in our communities,"
Gov. Ritter said at a Capitol news conference this
afternoon. "Firefighters have stood with me, and I
have stood with them, including yesterday in
Montrose when I signed three bills to help volunteer
and wildland firefighters; last year when I fought
hard to defeat the right-to-work and other harmful
ballot initiatives; and in 2007 when I signed
legislation, over the strong objection of local
government and others, expanding eligibility for
workers' compensation coverage for firefighters
suffering from cancer."
"As the son of a union member, and a former union
member myself in earlier years, I have long believed
that collective bargaining can create a positive
working relationship for public sector employees and
local governments," Gov. Ritter said, citing three
main reasons for the veto:
·
Local firefighters already may obtain collective
bargaining rights through voter approval in their
local communities. Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Pueblo,
Greeley, Longmont and Englewood have collective
bargaining with firefighters.
·
SB 180 would have overturned the will of the voters
in communities that have opted against collective
bargaining.
·
Issues of firefighter safety raised by SB 180 are
better addressed on a statewide basis rather than in
just the few communities that would have been
impacted by the legislation. Therefore, Gov. Ritter
has directed the Department of Public Safety to work
with the Colorado Professional Firefighters, the
Colorado State Fire Chief's Association, the
Colorado Municipal League, the Special District
Association, Colorado Counties, Inc., and other
stakeholders to develop a statewide fire department
safety certification program and introduce, if
necessary, implementing legislation for the 2010
legislative session.
The Governor was joined at this afternoon's news
conference by Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe,
the chair of the Metro Mayors Caucus; Littleton
Mayor Doug Clark; Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally;
and Mountain View Fire District Deputy Chief Steve
Pischke, all of whom were among the many
stakeholders who asked Gov. Ritter to veto this
bill.
"The system is not broken," Greenwood Mayor Sharpe
said, "and local governments remain committed to the
safety of their public safety employees."
"The state should not be telling local voters or
local elected representatives what to do when it
comes to personnel matters like this," Mayor Clark
said.
Deputy Chief Pischke applauded Gov. Ritter for
directing the Department of Public Safety to
immediately address the issue of firefighter safety.
"SB 180 was overly broad-stroked," Pischke said. "It
created difficult problems and did not allow local
communities to address local issues."
Here is the complete text of
Gov. Ritter's veto message.
Posted 06-04-09 |
