Businesses added jobs, but more people left the job market in December. Plus: Colorado leads highest increase in gas prices, readers share annoying inflation interactions, and more!
labor unions
Posted inOpinion Columns
Opinion: Labor has made gains in Colorado, but there’s more to do
It is our privilege to represent and advocate on behalf of some of the hardest working, diverse, and engaged Coloradans in the state. As representatives of the Colorado Education Association, the Service Employees International Union, and the Colorado AFL-CIO, we know firsthand the commitment and tenacity of our members. Our members provide healthcare and education, […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Joe O’Dea’s pitch to Colorado workers rings hollow
Big corporate CEOs are raking in record profits and working Americans are bearing the brunt of rising costs. Working Coloradans can’t afford to be fooled by a candidate who claims to fight for them. Republican Senate nomineee Joe O’Dea will try to use working Coloradans to push him to victory, but working Coloradans will see […]
Posted inNews
Purgatory ski patrollers form union, push for better wages as part of national resort labor movement
Pete Kemery spent last winter living in his truck camper parked at a friend’s house. “I wasn’t paying rent so I was able to make my job work,” said the ski patroller at Purgatory ski area outside Durango. “That’s pretty common for a lot of us. And I guess we’ve reached a point where we […]
Posted inNews
What’s Working: Colorado employers say there’s still a labor shortage even as more jobs are filled
Colorado employers may be facing some of the highest inflation in decades, not to mention talk of recession (no, one hasn’t been officially announced). But one thing that may be finally easing up is attracting enough workers. It’s still bad, just not as bad as it was a year ago, said Curtis Englehart, executive director […]
Posted inBusiness, News
Denver’s Convergence Station could be the second Meow Wolf location to unionize
More than half the people working at Convergence Station in Denver say they want to join the Meow Wolf Workers Collective and create a union bargaining unit for the massive immersive art installation. The workers of Meow Wolf Convergence Station announced their intention to join the Communications Workers of America on Tuesday, declaring “the age […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Starbucks workers allege retaliation for union efforts at Colorado stores
What’s Working: This is a segment of our weekly What’s Working column. Read the full column. >> Sign up for the newsletter Since Jan. 1, workers at nearly two dozen companies have filed for the right to be represented, including caregivers at The Bridge at Longmont assisted living to tree trimmers at Asplundh Tree Expert […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: The freedom of work independence, the security of employment benefits
The pandemic has been an unexpected boon for workers. After an initial surge in unemployment, the economy has recovered and now, with a red-hot labor market, workers are figuring out how to demand more from their companies. In some cases, this is taking the form of direct confrontation, like the battle between Amazon and its […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: The right to strike is the right to be treated as a human
Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee while fighting for the rights of sanitation workers. Indeed, MLK Jr. was a strong advocate for the rights of workers to organize unions, demanding in his final years that the country recognize its working poor. He even equated anti-labor voices with racism, once proclaiming “the labor-hater […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Transportation
United Airlines needs more workers as it undergoes one of its largest Denver expansions in years
In the past year, United Airlines touted hiring bonuses as high as $10,000. It upped its starting wages to nearly $20 an hour. Earlier this week, it held an in-person job fair at the United Club at Empower Field at Mile High stadium — its second in eight months. The company needs extra help in […]