Democrat Against Firefighter Unions

From the Denver Post: Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday said he cannot support the current version of a bill that would make it easier to unionize firefighters in Colorado, an implicit veto threat to leaders of his own party in the legislature.
In a letter to Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said he could not support in Senate Bill 25 in its current form, which would allow firefighters in even the smallest locales to unionize regardless of whether their voters or local governing boards had rejected the idea previously.
Gov. Bill Ritter, Hickenlooper's Democratic predecessor, vetoed a nearly identical bill in 2009, a move that cost him points with labor groups and his own party.
"As a former mayor, I respect the positive good that can result from collective bargaining," Hickenlooper said in the letter to Democratic leaders. "In Denver, we successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements with the firefighters' union. In those negotiations, we operated with the mutual understanding that we must take into consideration the shared interests of making responsible use of taxpayer funds, prioritizing the well-being and safety of the public and ensuring the safety of the firefighters themselves.
"We understand why some firefighters view organizing within a collective bargaining unit as a fair channel of meaningful communication with their employers."
Still, the governor said, he also understood that local governments want keep the right to decide whether their firefighters can unionize.
"In this regard, we do not believe it is a matter of state interest to require mandatory bargaining between a locality and its firefighters," Hickenlooper said. "It is a matter of state interest, however, that the political rights of firefighters to engage in meaningful dialogue with their local elected representatives, including petitioning for local elections, be fully protected.
"Firefighters ought to have the opportunity to meet with their employers and discuss work conditions, safety, equipment and other issues that impact their lives, families and future well-being without intimidation or fear of retribution."
The bill passed the Senate earlier this month with only one no vote from a Democrat. Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, didn't like the fact that the bill was amended in committee to apply to departments with two or more employees. The original bill applied to only departments with 50 or more employees.
Read more: Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper threatens veto of firefighter unions bill in present form - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22622252/hickenlooper-threatens-veto-firefighter-unions-bill-present-form#ixzz2LQ8N0jC1
The governor is right and that it should be up to the local governments to decide if they want to deal with union thugs or not.