On November 18th Colorado state employees celebrated the momentous raises they won this year for tens of thousands of Colorado’s underpaid essential workers. State employees and Governor Polis signed their ground-breaking first contract today, which state employees voted overwhelmingly to ratify with a 99% vote yes.
State employees and homecare providers won these raises against the backdrop of the most significant change the United States has seen in jobs and the labor market in decades.
In order to keep state employees in the jobs they love, WINS members negotiated for wages and benefits that allow employees to provide for their families while serving their communities including annual wage increases, a $15 minimum wage for all state jobs, funding to prevent increases in health care costs and a strong policy to combat discrimination and promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
After securing a provisional agreement with the state earlier in the fall, thousands of public service workers across the state voted to ratify the contract, by a near-unanimous vote.
Today, standing alongside Governor Polis, members of Colorado WINS, the union of Colorado state employees, and Colorado Care Workers Unite celebrated the momentous raises they won this year for tens of thousands of Colorado’s underpaid essential workers.
Happening now! State employees and homecare providers, together in their unions, stood up in the midst of the crisis to demand change for their families, their jobs and other essential workers.
From Kenosha to Colorado, we believe that we should all have the freedom to express our beliefs without fearing for ourselves or our loved ones. We would like to voice our support for our neighbors in Wisconsin as they mourn the verdict in the trial of vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse.
One perk of our job as state employees is our pension plan with the Public Employee Retirement Association. Pensions offer secure benefits that let employees retire with dignity and live healthy full lives after we finish our professional careers.
On Saturday September 25th, Colorado WINS members came together for our 2021 Member Convention. Together we celebrated our progress over the last three years, elected officers, and set the direction for our union.
Historic Contract is Second Major Win for Colorado’s Essential Workers in Less Than Two Weeks Following $15 Minimum Wage for Homecare Providers
State employees have come together to improve wages — which are 16% lower than their peers outside of state government — and understaffing, which puts many employees at risk and makes it difficult to provide the services Coloradans need.
State Essential Workers to Demand Living Wages, Safe Working Conditions at Denver Rally
For centuries, workers and unions around the world have fought to make life better for working families. This holiday weekend we celebrate that fight and honor those who paved the way for safer, more fair working conditions. But the work is not done.
Recently, the story about state employee and COWINS member Stephanie Maney ran in the Colorado Sun. Jude Mattoon and Evelyn Hutt write about why we need to invest in public services to avoid crises like the one Stephanie experienced.
On August 4th Colorado WINS members at Fitzsimons Veterans Home welcomed Representative Dafna Michealson-Jenet and Senator Rhonda Fields’ Legislative Aide, Jeremiah Ntepp to a meet and greet to discuss their experiences with the chronic underfunding of state services and the impact of the global COVID pandemic on their work.
For over a year state employees have been fighting the coronavirus and providing the critical services we need to get past this global health crisis. Debi Macias, a Health Care Technician at the Pueblo Regional Center, shares what it’s been like working through the COVID pandemic and how disinvesting in public services has impacted her work serving Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens.
Colorado WINS Celebrates Juneteenth, Negotiating for State Holiday for State Employees
Decades of Underfunding Leaves DOLA Unprepared for COVID Crisis