The legislative session opened only days ago, yet Colorado’s ruling Democrats have wasted no time reintroducing a destructive labor bill that Gov. Jared Polis vetoed just last year. 

The legislation would deny protections for workers while claiming to do the opposite.

Eighty years ago, labor unrest threatened to unravel Colorado’s economy. Fortunately, Colorado’s foresighted leaders had the good sense to keep the peace through the aptly named Labor Peace Act.

The compromise balanced union and management interests. First, it requires a simple majority of a firm’s workers to vote to form a union. But if they want to force all employees in their workplace to pay dues — whether they’re union members or not — it requires a second vote with 75% in favor.

That’s balance: You can form a union with a simple majority, but you can’t force others to join or pay dues without meeting the higher threshold. It’s also true worker protection.

Yet, as The Gazette reports, hardline labor Democrats are back with another attempt at undermining labor peace — one they deceptively call the “Worker Protection Act.”

House Bill 26-1005 would break the 80-year peace by tilting the playing field toward labor unions that often prioritize their coffers and political preferences over the interests of workers. The bill would force employees to pay union dues against their will — eliminating the second vote that gives them a say. It would tax them without their consent.

The founding fathers might call that “taxation without representation.”

Nothing substantive has changed from last year’s failed attempt. If Polis seems fed up, that’s because he is — to the point that he’s already made his opposition clear.

“The governor is frustrated and surprised that the same piece of legislation could come forward, recognizing last year’s outcome that nothing has changed,” his office said, calling on labor and business to hammer out a solution.

This isn’t just about how undemocratic the bill is, although Polis has rightly expressed concerns about “who has a say in whether union dues are deducted from employee paychecks.”

If passed, HB1005 would devastate the business community and job creation and cripple our ability to compete with other states.

When he vetoed last year’s bill, Polis pointed out that mandatory dues deductions should require “a high bar of both participation and support, particularly at a time when hardworking Coloradans are concerned about the cost of groceries, the economy, and their job security.”

Last year, Colorado’s nonpartisan Common Sense Institute found that, if non-union members are forced to pay dues without any say, projected job growth will plunge from 10.2% to 5.1%. That’s 152,000 fewer jobs.

An additional 4,700 unemployed youth and young adults would lose out, too, thanks to higher wage floors that tend to limit entry-level opportunities for younger workers.

The Gazette’s Fiscal Rockies series has documented Colorado’s recent economic struggles. The state now ranks #34 for employment growth and #29 for personal income growth.

Businesses already warn that “the very ecosystem that once attracted businesses is starting to drive them away,” per a Colorado Business Roundtable survey. The survey’s “word cloud” shows regulations are the top concern, followed by an “anti-business” climate. Nothing else comes close.

The Common Sense Institute study found that half of major employers’ CEOs consider a state’s union-organizing laws when deciding on expanding or investing in that state. We couldn’t imagine a worse time to drive businesses away.

Polis is right: Let’s keep the labor peace.