Posted inBusiness, Marijuana, News, Politics and Government

Colorado lawmakers reject bill seeking to prohibit employers from firing workers for cannabis use

A Colorado House committee voted down a bill that sought to stop employers from denying jobs to or firing workers for their off-the-clock cannabis use, either medical or recreational. House Bill 1152 also sought to require employers to let their employees consume medical marijuana while on the job. The legislation included exceptions for workers whose […]

Posted inBusiness, Economy, News

Supply chain problems — from salsa to sheet metal — are hampering Colorado businesses’ coronavirus recovery

Salsa -maker Amy Lasley used to throw away the disposable gloves she wears during food preparation. But as the price of nitrile gloves skyrocketed in recent months, she’s started to disinfect them with bleach and reuse them for cleaning outside the kitchen.  Other items are more expensive, too: The glass jars she packs her salsa […]

Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, Health, News

The workers who wash Colorado’s hospital linens are scared of their jobs

Gregorio “Goyo” Rodriguez works on the dirty side of the laundry plant, where he unloads bags of used hospital linens and feeds them into a giant washing machine.  For 31 years, Rodriguez has worked at Hospital Cooperative Laundry, which cleans the sheets, gowns, towels and surgical rags for 40 hospitals and about 400 medical clinics […]

Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, Politics and Government

Colorado lawmakers focus on essential workers amid coronavirus, push to make paid sick leave a right for all

To lift public health restrictions and reopen Colorado, Democratic lawmakers say the first step is to protect essential workers like Mirja McDade in the retail and service industries. McDade’s past jobs in the restaurant industry didn’t include paid sick time, so she worked regardless of her health. “The food industry is probably the worst as […]

Posted inBusiness, COVID, News

Hundreds of international workers at Colorado ski resorts are in limbo as countries close borders, airlines cancel flights

When Gov. Jared Polis ordered the state’s ski areas to close on March 14, he also launched Ana Panessi into a frantic race to get home. It was a race she did not win.  “So many people, they were able to run away very quickly. We did not have the same opportunity. So we are […]

Posted inBusiness, COVID, News

Colorado medical workers are getting free childcare. Should grocery store and food processing employees get the same benefit?

Advocates are calling for grocery store and food processing workers to be eligible for the same emergency child care available to front-line medical workers. As schools and child care centers closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, state officials and early childhood groups launched an emergency child care system for essential workers. They included medical workers, […]