There’s a voice in America that still believes in building a society that works for everyone. It’s not corporate PACs. It’s not dark-money interest groups. It’s not billionaire think tanks. It’s labor.
And here’s the thing: Even if you’re not in a union, labor may be the only organized force actually advocating for you.
Colorado WINS, the union representing 27,000 state employees, works for everyone every day. From keeping our roads safe, protecting our public lands and caring for our veterans, Colorado’s state workers are the backbone of our communities.
Unions like Colorado WINS don’t just fight for paychecks and pensions. We fight for an economy where people aren’t crushed under the weight of working poverty, generational trauma and systemic neglect. Labor sees the big picture: education, health care, family life, retirement, child care, elder care and dignity on the job. And we fight at the ground level to make it real.
So what does labor want?
We want schools — not just buildings with bells, but fully staffed with educators who are well-paid, well-trained, and equipped to help students growing up in a chaotic world. We want kids to come to school fed, rested and supported by adults who are home, because they’re not being forced to work two or three jobs just to survive.
We want one full-time job to be enough. Forty hours a week should pay for a mortgage, food, utilities and a little bit extra. It should come with paid sick leave, time off and retirement. It should support workers while they’re caring for loved ones — and it should let them stop working before their bodies give out.
We want workers to have the time and health to contribute to their communities, raise their families and live with dignity. We want elder care systems that are funded, staffed and accountable. We want children whose caregivers are present, workplaces that are fully staffed, and neighborhoods where people aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving.
Colorado WINS strives to bring this vision to life. In September, Colorado WINS secured a landmark agreement establishing a pathway to a more equitable pay system that recognizes employees’ years of service, continuing the momentum we built with our first historic contract in 2021 that included a $15 minimum wage for all state jobs.
We’ve also gone to bat for our Department of Corrections members, who have faced unsafe staffing levels and forced overtime that threatens their safety and well-being. That includes passing policies to boost staffing levels and implement fairer scheduling.
Beyond corrections, we’ve defended all Colorado state workers by taking legal action to protect them from being forced by their bosses to break the law.
In June, we joined and won a crucial lawsuit exposing that state employees were ordered to share information illegally with federal immigration enforcement. The victory affirmed that no state worker can be compelled to violate legal or ethical standards on the job, protecting both state workers and the communities they serve.
When people are gainfully employed and supported on the job, they don’t just benefit themselves and their families, they power their entire community. Higher-paid workers contribute at higher rates to the tax base, boosting the public coffers that fund everyone’s needs. That means Colorado has the dollars to lift up those who’ve been knocked down, and — if we have good elected officials — ensure they can stand back up. Those tax dollars are what fund the infrastructure that holds our communities together.
This vision isn’t radical, it’s just rare. And it’s rare because delivering this kind of wholesale change is hard. It requires political will and courage. It demands standing up to billion-dollar corporations and the politicians who take their checks. And that’s where labor becomes a threat.
Unions hold corporations and elected officials accountable — and those two groups often overlap. Corporations fund campaigns. Politicians pass laws that benefit donors. And when we demand that money and power be used for the public good, the backlash is swift. The wealthy flood the airwaves with anti-union talking points, block legislation and bankroll think tanks designed to dismantle worker power. They want you to believe the money’s not there. But it is — they’re hoarding it. And they got it by squeezing it out of the people who do the work.
So if you share this vision for America — an America where working people live dignified, whole lives — then it’s not enough to agree. You have to act. Support unions. Elect people who stand with workers. Show up. Speak out. Organize.
Because here’s the truth: Greedy corporations and self-serving politicians don’t share your vision. But labor does. And we’ll keep fighting for it — until the system reflects the people who make it run.
Hilary Glasgow, of Pueblo, is the executive director of Colorado WINS Local 1876, the state employees’ union.
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