Colorado University Workers Demand Collective Bargaining Rights

"I'm not asking for the moon, I'm asking for a seat at the table," says Sam Whitaker, an academic adviser at the University of Colorado, as he recalls his speech at February's regents meeting. Whitaker's words still echo, and they highlight the frustration and determination of university workers who've been demanding collective bargaining rights for years. We're talking about 48,000 faculty, staff, and graduate workers who are the backbone of the university - and one of the largest employers in the state.

You've probably seen the university's campus, bustling with students and faculty, but have you ever stopped to think about the people who keep it running? The staff, the instructors, the researchers - they're the ones who make sure the university is producing talented individuals who contribute to our state's economy. And yet, they're still waiting for the same rights that their peers in other states take for granted. Colorado remains the only blue state that hasn't extended collective bargaining rights to public university employees - that's a fact that's hard to ignore.

The stakes are high, and this issue affects our entire state. When CU can't recruit and retain top talent because it can't offer competitive wages and benefits, that affects our economy and our future. These are the nurses, teachers, engineers, and entrepreneurs who will shape our communities - and if we can't keep them here, we'll lose out on the innovation and growth they could bring. That's what's at risk when we don't give university workers the rights they deserve.

It's not just about the money, though - it's about having a voice. Collective bargaining is about ensuring that employees have a say in the decisions that affect their work and their lives. This is about creating a more equitable and just workplace, where academic freedom and intellectual curiosity are protected and valued. When administrators make decisions without consulting faculty and staff, it's a problem - and collective bargaining can help solve it.

The university's recent deployment of ChatGPT is a case in point. Faculty and students objected to the decision, but it was made anyway - without their input or consent. That's not how you build trust or make decisions that affect people's lives. As Whitaker said, "When hard decisions must be made, that is the time to have more voices in the room, not less." Collective bargaining ensures those voices are heard - and that's what's missing right now.

The regents have a chance to change that. Elliott Hood and Ilana Dubin Spiegel have proposed recognizing bargaining rights for all CU employees, and they've got the support of Regent Wanda James. But they need two more votes to pass it - and that's where things get tricky. There are arguments for delay, of course - former regent Jim Martin has said that creating a collective bargaining system is a legislative prerogative, not a board one. But as Martin himself conceded, this debate "is not about whether collective bargaining is sound policy" - it's about how to make it happen.

If you've been paying attention, you know that the legislature has already failed to act on this issue. In 2022, a broad coalition advanced legislation to extend bargaining rights to public university employees, but it didn't pass. So now, the regents have a chance to step up and do what's right - and this decision will reflect our state's values and priorities. The people who work hard to educate and train our future leaders deserve to be treated with respect - and that means giving them a voice in the decisions that affect their work. The regents will be voting on this issue in the coming months, and the outcome will depend on their votes - the future of our state is at stake, and the regents' decision will determine the kind of state we want to be. Do we want to be a place where workers have a voice and a chance to thrive, or do we want to be a place where they're ignored and undervalued? The choice is clear, and the regents should make it with courage and conviction. As for Sam Whitaker and the other university workers who are fighting for their rights, they'll be waiting anxiously for the regents' decision - and hoping that it's the one that will finally give them the seat at the table they deserve. What happens next will depend on the regents' votes - and the kind of future we want to build for our state.