I support a living wage for workers in Colorado, the right of workers to organize, and the strengthening of collective bargaining rights.

I support the enactment of HB20-1153, as I believe that state employees should be granted the freedom to collectively bargain. Each and every worker in Colorado deserves a good paying job, a safe workplace, and the dignity and respect that goes along with earning a living wage. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in mass unemployment and job insecurity — we must do everything we can to get people back to work as quickly as possible, and support them in the unfortunate instance that they find themselves laid off from work or temporarily furloughed. As someone who was temporarily furloughed as a result of the pandemic, I know firsthand the anxiety and stress that comes from being unemployed. 

I support job training and retraining programs (with a focus on jobs in the renewable energy and infrastructure improvement sectors), the work of unions in advocating for economic and social justice, an increased focus on vocational education, and affirmative action — which in turn opens up the job market to people of color, women, and other underrepresented groups. I support strengthening Colorado’s minimum wage rules to include farm workers, domestic home helpers and others who lack basic wage protections at present. Colorado’s agricultural workers should also be entitled to receive overtime protections in-line with the same protections afforded other workers in our state and I was pleased to vote in support of the Agricultural Workers’ Rights bill in 2021. I will also work to strengthen and stabilize the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). Our state and our country is on the brink of a retirement crisis and  we must do more to ensure that workers are cared for both during their working years and throughout their retirement years.