DENVER – Today Governor Jared Polis confirmed he will veto the Worker Protection Act (HB26-1005), siding with billionaire CEOs and corporate lobbyists over Colorado’s working families. The bill would have removed an unnecessary and harmful second election requirement that prevents workers from forming strong unions and negotiating for better pay, benefits, and safety on the job. Every Democratic legislator voted in favor of the bill, and mostl have signed a letter demanding the two Democratic governor candidates commit to signing it should they win.

The veto news comes as Gov. Polis faces growing criticism from Democrats across Colorado following his clemency decision for Tina Peters and recent censure by members of his own party, further fueling concerns that he is increasingly out of touch with working Coloradans.

“Coloradans are ready to elect leaders who stand with working people instead of billionaire CEOs. That’s the leadership we’re prepared to work with to pass the Worker Protection Act,” said Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of SEIU Local 105. “This bill is the most significant pro-worker labor reform Colorado has seen in generations, and vetoing it after overwhelming support from workers and Democratic legislators is an assault on democracy itself. Once again, Gov. Polis is siding with billionaire CEOs and corporate lobbyists over workers, families, and the democratic will of the people. We look forward to working with a future governor who values democracy and workers’ rights.”

Fifty-seven members of the Colorado Democratic legislative caucus have signed a letter to ask both Democratic gubernatorial candidates – Sen. Michael Bennet and A.G. Phil Weiser – to take a stand in support of workers over wildly profitable multinational corporations by publicly committing to sign the Worker Protection Act, should it come across the Governor’s desk in 2027 or beyond.

“The coming veto is a slap in the face to every worker organizing for a better life,” said Michelle Mendenhall, a Casa Bonita entertainment crew lead. “Again we were stymied by a politician protecting a system rigged to keep workers quiet, hold wages low and make it really hard to form a union. I’m looking for a new governor who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with workers rather than billionaire CEOs.”

Billionaire CEOs use their money and influence to protect the status quo, keeping the rigged system delivering profits to themselves and shareholders instead of the people who do most of the work. These limits on workers’ rights to unionize means that working families are struggling to pay for housing, healthcare and other basic expenses. 

“While we knew this veto was likely, we held out hope that Gov. Polis would change his mind in the midst of an affordability crisis for working families struggling with the costs of housing, healthcare and groceries,” said Karli McClure, a crisis clinician at Clinica Family Health in Boulder. “We’re looking forward to the end of politics dominated by wealthy special interests and the beginning of a renewed commitment to working people. When workers can stand together, wages go up, workplaces get safer, and families have a real chance to live and thrive in Colorado.”

Last year the Colorado Fiscal Institute published a report citing Economic Policy Institute data showing union workers earn 10% more than non-union ones with similar jobs and qualifications.  Projections updated in 2026 show that if the bill passes, Colorado workers will earn $2,350 more per year, putting more than $6 billion annually in the pockets of CO working families annually. As compared with non-unionized peers, unionized workers are significantly more likely to receive employer-provided health insurance and retirement benefits, have a 13% better shot of their family owning a home and have four times the household wealth ($201,250 vs $52,221). 

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Colorado Worker Rights United is a coalition of labor unions and community groups building worker power through organizing and solidarity in Colorado. CWRU is dedicated to modernizing Colorado’s labor laws to make it easier to organize and empower Colorado workers, 70,000 of whom are currently organizing to form a union at a time when an all-time high of seven out of 10 Americans support labor unions.