{"id":1074,"date":"2026-05-18T12:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1074"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:33:36","slug":"bennet-weiser-face-tough-questions-on-worker-protection-act-in-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1074","title":{"rendered":"Bennet, Weiser face tough questions on Worker Protection Act in Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.<\/em><\/p>\n

DENVER<\/strong> | A broad coalition of Colorado labor unions and faith groups brought the two Democratic candidates for governor to the stage at a church in Lakewood Sunday for a forum with an unusual twist.<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, contenders in a head-to-head Democratic primary scheduled for June 30, stood side-by-side as they were asked 10 questions about the policies they\u2019d pursue if elected governor \u2014 and pressed to respond with 10 yes-or-no answers, with only a handful of opportunities to elaborate later.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cThe goal today is clarity, not slogans, not rehearsed talking points, not partisan theater,\u201d said Rev. Sheri Fry, pastor at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, where the event was held. \u201cClarity matters because the challenges facing our communities are too urgent for vague promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeik Saidman, a founding member of event organizer Coloradans for the Common Good, said the format was meant to avoid the \u201cpolitical dance\u201d that too many similar candidate forums become.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t (lead) to substantive kind of questions,\u201d Saidman said. \u201cWith our base in congregations, unions and nonprofits, we get to meat-and-potato issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they have\u00a0at similar forums\u00a0held throughout the year, Bennet and Weiser expressed relatively few disagreements on specific policy matters, giving the same answers to nine of 10 questions. Only the question of granting \u201call public sector workers full collective bargaining rights\u201d divided them Sunday, with Weiser in support and Bennet opposed.<\/p>\n

With only a minute of allotted speaking time on four different topics, beginning with immigration, the two candidates raced to hit the major themes of their campaigns \u2014 Bennet touting his record and experience, Weiser his barrage of lawsuits against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the (Denver Classroom Teachers Association) to get in-state tuition for the Dreamers in Colorado,\u201d said Bennet, who served as Denver Public Schools superintendent before his appointment to the Senate in 2009. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have fought as a member of the gang of eight for comprehensive immigration reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI fought back when this administration tried to force Colorado law enforcement to do immigration work, and we won,\u201d Weiser, who has served as attorney general since 2019, told the crowd to cheers. \u201cI am proud to have taken on a deputy sheriff who engaged in immigration enforcement in violation of that law.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winner of the primary between Weiser and Bennet will face the winner of a\u00a0three-way GOP contest\u00a0in the general election, where the Democratic nominee will be heavily favored. Colorado has elected only one Republican governor in the last 50 years, and Democrats are widely expected to gain ground in a favorable midterm election year.<\/p>\n

Opposition to Worker Protection Act<\/h4>\n

Founded in 2019, Coloradans for the Common Good is made up of several dozen member organizations including multiple Denver-area labor unions and religious congregations, along with nonprofits like the Community Economic Defense Project and Towards Justice.<\/p>\n

Organizers said about 400 people, many of them members of those organizations, attended Sunday\u2019s forum, and for much of Bennet and Weiser\u2019s time on stage they had plenty to cheer about. Both candidates answered affirmatively \u2014 often enthusiastically so \u2014 to questions about whether they would support a bill to allow Coloradans to sue federal officials over constitutional violations, expand state-funded emergency rental assistance, increase funding for public education and more.<\/p>\n

But the mood inside the Good Shepherd church soured substantially when the two candidates were asked a final question about whether they would sign\u00a0the Worker Protection Act, a bill to ease union formation passed twice by Democratic majorities in the Legislature.<\/p>\n

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited in 2026,\u00a0vetoed the bill last year\u00a0and is expected to do so again in the coming weeks. The bill would repeal a provision in Colorado\u2019s 1943 Labor Peace Act that requires unionizing workers to hold a second election and meet a 75% threshold to secure a so-called union security agreement, which compels all employees to pay union dues.<\/p>\n

Both Weiser and Bennet declined to endorse the Worker Protection Act \u2014 or to adhere to the yes-or-no format \u2014 as they stuck to their stances in favor of a middle ground between the Labor Peace Act and the repeal sought by Colorado unions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will sign\u00a0a<\/em>\u00a0worker protection act,\u201d Weiser said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy answer is that I will fight for a compromise,\u201d said Bennet.<\/p>\n

Organizers hushed members of the crowd who began to boo and heckle the candidates as they attempted to deliver answers that were cut off by a moderator. One attendee stormed out, urging them \u201csign the (expletive) bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Labor Peace Act is antiquated, and I\u2019m going to lead the effort to change it,\u201d Weiser said when given the chance to elaborate. \u201cYes, I\u2019m going to make sure I hear concerns and that everyone has a voice, but ultimately it\u2019s on me to lead the change, to make it easier for unions to organize.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would fight for a compromise that preserved the second election, but reduced the threshold for (union security),\u201d Bennet told the crowd. \u201cI understand we have a disagreement about that today. I understand that. But I want to say to the people in this room \u2014 we haven\u2019t always agreed on every single thing, but we deeply agree about the fight that Colorado has to fight right now, for justice in our economy.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Read more Track & Field: Two-event winner Cameron Bell of Eaglecrest leads parade of six Aurora area 5A boys state titles<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Toon in Monday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Aurora man faces murder charges in death of 4-year-old boy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story was first published at Colorado Newsline. DENVER | A broad coalition of Colorado labor unions and faith groups brought the two Democratic candidates for governor to the stage at a church in Lakewood Sunday for a forum with an unusual twist. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, contenders in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[74,45,1306,595,39],"class_list":["post-1074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-democratic-party","tag-donald-trump","tag-jared-polis","tag-michael-bennet","tag-phil-weiser"],"yoast_head":"\nBennet, Weiser face tough questions on Worker Protection Act in Colorado - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1074\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bennet, Weiser face tough questions on Worker Protection Act in Colorado - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This story was first published at Colorado Newsline. 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