Amendment 47 is Wrong for Colorado

Colorado's "right to work for less" Amendment 47 is a bad idea.

• Unions protect workers' rights and working conditions when unscrupulous business owners won't. For over 125 years in Colorado, through collective bargaining, unions have pushed business back from infringing on workers' rights. Millions of workers have experienced the benefits brought by collective bargaining through unions.

• Amendment 47 is corporate-crafted legislation attempting to destroy and eliminate the union collective bargaining system. It attempts to strip away workers' wages and rights in Colorado, depicting union membership as an infringement upon freedom of choice.

• The sponsors of Amendment 47 are attempting to drive down wages, benefits and working conditions of workers in Colorado. These results have already been seen in other states that have passed similar bills. This legislation fosters wage suppression to create larger profits for rich corporations.

• Amendment 47 is not about workers' rights. It falsely claims to grant a new freedom to workers before being hired. Once hired and without the union, the worker must play by a new set of rules in favor of the corporation and bent against the worker's freedoms.

• Unions are non-profit organizations designed to protect employees. The sponsors of Amendment 47 know that this legislation will drastically alter the funding of unions through membership. Without funding, the union will cease to exist, leaving employers free to cut wages, benefits, and training with no organization to defend the rights of the worker. No non-profit organization can operate without a budget.