Denver voters will decide if more city employees can have collective bargaining rights, which would let them negotiate as part of a union — something currently only allowed for the city’s police and firefighters, as well as teachers employed by Denver Public Schools.
This ballot measure would extend collective bargaining rights to about 7,000 additional city employees if they choose to unionize.
City workers and labor advocates in Denver have been pushing for this for a while, with the hope that collective bargaining could help secure better pay and working conditions at city jobs. Library staff, at the forefront of advocacy on the issue, talked about struggling with cost of living in Denver while working at the library.
Denver is one of the few Democrat-led cities in the country without collective bargaining rights for city staff.
Here’s the language you’ll see on your ballot:
“Shall the Charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to establish collective bargaining as a method for setting compensation and other terms and conditions of employment, including hours, working conditions, promotions, employee facilities, appeals of disciplinary procedures, and benefits other than participation in the City’s retirement program, for non-supervisory city employees who are included in a bargaining unit, which may include employees of executive agencies and departments under the Mayor, and may include employees of Denver Water, the Denver Library, the City Council, the County Court, the Civil Service Commission, the Board of Adjustment and certain employees of the Auditor and Clerk and Recorder, but may not include employees who participate in forming management positions during labor negotiations or police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters who already have collective bargaining rights and are prohibited from striking, and shall the same employees, except for employees of the Denver County Court and employees of Denver Water, be granted the right to strike in the event of an impasse in bargaining negotiations only if mediation does not resolve the impasse and such strike will not substantially threaten the public health, welfare, or safety; and shall an impasse with the employees of Denver County Court and employees of Denver Water be resolved through binding arbitration; and shall the terms and provisions of a collective bargaining agreement with the Denver Sheriffs supersede conflicting city personnel rules and policies?”
How would it work?
If the measure passes, city workers can begin collective bargaining as part of unions on Jan. 1, 2026. They can use those bargaining units to negotiate things like pay, terms of employment, hours, promotions, discipline and benefits.
But a “yes” vote does not mean every city staff member would automatically become part of a union. Groups of city workers would still have to organize, hold a union election and decide to use their collective bargaining power. The ballot measure also sets limits on how many city groups can form collective bargaining units each year.
The proposal also includes a number of other stipulations, including rules about if and when workers can strike; arbitration processes; and the methods by which employees can vote on creating a bargaining unit.
The measure generally says that disputes between local leaders and the unions will be handled through binding arbitration. Unions would generally have the right to strike, or stop or slow work, if negotiations reach an impasse. But the measure would not allow strikes or slowdowns by employees of the Denver County Court or Denver Water. And no strikes or slowdowns would be allowed that “substantially threaten public health, welfare, or safety.”
The bill would apply to non-supervisor employees in city departments and offices overseen by the mayor, and other departments like the Denver Public Library, Denver City Council staff and the Denver County Court, among others. It would not apply to staff in management positions and staff that already have collective bargaining rights.
If the measure fails, things would stay as they are. About 7,000 employees who work for the city still would not have the option to negotiate as part of a bargaining unit. Denver teachers, police and firefighters would retain their ability to collectively bargain.
Who’s for it?
Labor unions, groups of city workers and city council are in favor of the ballot measure and spent months pushing to put this question on the ballot, gathering signatures and packing city council meetings. City council voted unanimously to put the question on the ballot.
The yes campaign is called Stronger Denver. It had reported raising about $329,435 as of Sept. 27.
Passing collective bargaining for city workers would be a big win for Denver’s labor movement, giving 7,000 more people the chance to bargain as part of a union.
Proponents of the measure, and of unions in general, say that letting staff organize can lead to higher pay, more job stability, better protections in the workplace and an overall stronger voice for workers. In advocating for the ballot measure, many city workers talked about struggling to pay rent in Denver on city salaries.
“It’s important because I want to continue to live in the city I serve, and post-pandemic with inflation, cost of housing, it's gotten increasingly difficult for us to live in Denver with what we're making at the library,” said Peter Simon, a shelver at the library, at a city council meeting in May.
Who’s against it?
There was no organized opposition and no money had been raised or spent to oppose the ballot measure as of Sept. 27.
Generally, opponents of unions, which often includes company leaders and owners, try to block unions because they give a stronger seat at the bargaining table to workers and can lead to higher costs for a company through pay increases and improved benefits. Opponents of unions also point to monthly dues paid, which cost workers, and they say unions can create political systems in workplaces.
Previous Denverite coverage of Ballot Measure 2U
Collective bargaining for municipal employees will be on the ballot this fall
