I write this in response to recent editorials in The Gazette that have made several false claims about the bill I am currently negotiating to give public sector workers in Colorado the freedom to join a union with collective bargaining rights, if they choose to (“Collective bargaining D.O.A.? Let’s hope so,” Feb. 1; “Polis must slam the door on forced collective bargaining,” Feb. 3).

The very first sentence of the Feb. 1 installment of The Gazette editorial board’s crusade against basic rights for Colorado’s public servants contained the wildly inaccurate claim that “Gov. Jared Polis tied a toe tag on proposed legislation to force collective bargaining on local governments across Colorado.” This is false.

Our bill would simply give workers the choice to join a union and collectively bargain if a majority votes to do so, instead of continuing to allow government bureaucrats and local politicians to choose for them. I cannot think of a purer form of local control than giving hundreds of thousands of public servants a seat at the table when decisions are being made that directly impact the communities they serve every single day.

I remain disappointed, and quite frankly offended, by the implication littered throughout both editorial board pieces that unions represent some kind of nefarious third party. Unions are their workers. No union in the United States can exist unless the workers it represents choose to form one.

When this editorial board attacks unions as if they are an outside force, they are insulting the hundreds of thousands of public servants who are asking for basic labor rights. These are the people who provide services every single day to the people of our state and keep our local governments running. That is who this bill is for. That is what this debate is about.

This editorial board’s Feb. 1 piece goes on to claim that the bill that Gov. Polis signed in 2020 allowing state workers to collectively bargain will “hobble state budget writers in the legislature and, ultimately, all the state’s taxpayers for years to come,” while conveniently ignoring the historic contract that was signed earlier this year that by all accounts resulted from a successful compromise in an open negotiation.

The editorial board also obscures the obvious fact that a collective bargaining agreement is, as the name clearly states, an agreement. It must be freely entered into by both parties. Employees have no incentive to demand agreements that will bankrupt the institution that signs their paychecks, putting themselves out of job. Employers have no incentive to accept agreements that will “hobble” them. It is simply fear mongering to suggest otherwise.

The follow-up piece that was published on Feb 3 entitled, “Polis must slam the door on forced collective bargaining,” repeats the false statement that this forces anyone anywhere to do anything, and immediately claims that Gov. Polis will “lose big” if he signs a bill that gives public sector workers collective bargaining rights.

That’s very unlikely. If the editorial board thinks it will somehow hurt Gov. Polis if he is seen standing strong behind Colorado’s essential public workers, they are in for a surprise. A recent poll commissioned by the Colorado Education Association on behalf of the coalition supporting this bill found that 65% of Colorado voters support allowing local government workers to join a union, while just 29% opposed the measure.

The bill we’re currently working on does not and will not force anything on anyone. It gives workers the choice as to whether or not they want to form a union and join together to negotiate better working conditions, benefits, and wages. We’re finally seeing a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and since we all spent a lot of time praising our essential workers, we owe them a lot more than empty words.

It’s time to put our policy where our mouths are and honor their service to our communities and our state by granting them the basic rights they are asking for.

Daneya Esgar, a Democrat from Pueblo representing District 46 in the Colorado state House, is House majority leader.