Democratic U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, a politician known for his moderate stances in Washington, D.C., joined U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Golden) in breaking the usual political protocol of not wading into local issues to oppose Amendment 47, a “right-to-work” state ballot measure that would restrict the way labor unions organize.
The pair attended a “No on 47” kick-off rally at the local United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union headquarters Saturday, reportedly pledging to fight the proposal until Election Day, according to a news release from the union:
Salazar said he “sat next to the backers of 47 and asked them to get rid of 47 because it is bad for Colorado and they said no.” Salazar continued, “We need to band together to fight 47 and I’m going to be there every inch of the way. Amendment 47 is a distraction to the real issues affecting Colorado. It will weaken our economy if not defeated.”
Perlmutter concurred, adding: “Most big businesses and chambers are standing with working men and women of Colorado to defeat this miserable piece of junk. [Amendment 47] would continue to divide the very top from the rest of us,” and said it was “designed to hurt working men and women.”
In addition to fighting the “right-to-work” measure, the UFCW local is sponsoring two other ballot measures this year, in what has become the longest state ballot in the nation. Amendment 56 would require companies with more than 20 employees to provide health care coverage and Amendment 57 would give employees injured on the job stronger legal rights against their employers.
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