General Assembly extends collective bargaining to Colorado counties

Maxford Nelsen
May 18, 2022

In the final days of the 2022 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB 22-230 along party lines requiring most of the state’s counties to engage in collective bargaining with labor unions representing county employees.

Previously, Colorado county officials could choose whether to engage in collective bargaining with unions purporting to represent their employees, and a handful had chosen to do so.

Should Gov. Jared Polis sign SB 22-230 into law, the legislation would open the door for the unionization of more than 30,000 county workers and notably expand unions’ political power in the state.

The Freedom Foundation highlighted some of the legislation’s flaws in testimony before the House State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee on May 5, 2022, and in an op-ed for The Center Square: “County collective bargaining bill rewards unions, harms employees and taxpayers“

- Colorado, Labor, Local Government
, Colorado

Maxford Nelsen

Director of Research and Government Affairs

mnelsen@freedomfoundation.com

As the Freedom Foundation’s Director of Research and Government Affairs, Maxford Nelsen leads the team working to advance the Freedom Foundation’s mission through strategic research, public policy advocacy, and labor relations. Max regularly testifies on labor issues before legislative bodies and his research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review, and the American Spectator. His work on labor policy issues has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, Fox News, and PBS News Hour. He is a frequent guest on local radio stations like 770 KTTH and 570 KVI. From 2019-21, Max was a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which resolves contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for WashingtonVotes.org and the Washington Policy Center and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max holds a labor relations certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A Washington native, he lives in Olympia with his wife and sons.