Vote Unionizes State Labor

At least 22,500 secretaries, prison guards and other state employees will soon fall under a union contract following a vote tallied Wednesday, though the majority of eligible workers didn't cast a ballot.

The number represents about a third of state employees. They will join the 711 employees of the Colorado State Patrol who have already unionized.

ColoradoWINS, the coalition of three unions behind the election, continues to pursue another 11,000 state workers who are eligible to unionize under Gov. Bill Ritter's controversial executive order that allowed state employees to unionize and collectively bargain for wages and work conditions.

The results of the mail balloting, to be announced today, left Republican critics howling since labor groups are traditionally Democratic campaign contributors. But union organizers toasted the results, which they said will show that between 64 percent and 85 percent of those who voted among different groups of state workers supported union representation.

The Denver Post