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Boulder County workers urge commissioners to drop legal challenge and start union bargaining
Summary
County employees, union leaders and bargaining committee members told the Board of County Commissioners on May 1 that the county’s legal action and motion to halt bargaining are delaying negotiated talks after a January union election and are costing taxpayer dollars.
Dozens of Boulder County employees and union leaders urged the Board of County Commissioners during a May 1 public comment session to withdraw a motion and pending legal action that have paused collective bargaining following a union election earlier this year.
Speakers said the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) ruled that Boulder County Public Health and Boulder County Housing Authority employees are included in the county’s bargaining unit; they said county officials have filed an injunction and a lawsuit to overturn or stay that inclusion. "Please stop union busting," said Brianna Barber, a county employee and elected member of the Boulder County Employees Union bargaining committee.
The comments came from a wide range of county staff and union leaders. Several speakers said they fear layoffs and cited workplace conditions and uneven treatment; Melanie Nieman, a Boulder County Public Health communications staffer, told commissioners she believes the county has spent outside counsel at about "$500 an hour" to challenge the election outcome. CWA Local 7799 President Jade Kelly said the Boulder County Employees Union voted to affiliate with CWA Local 7799 and urged the county to "reverse your legal strategy, and come to the table in good faith." Seasonal and frontline employees described wages below a living-wage benchmark and lack of benefits for seasonal staff.
Speakers cited specific details from the workplace and budget record: several commenters said the county cut the Boulder County Public Health budget in 2023 by $1,560,000, employees said the union election was won in January, and union organizers reported near-unanimous membership votes to affiliate with CWA Local 7799 (speakers cited figures of 99–100 percent). Union members asked the commissioners to allow negotiations to begin on May 19 and to drop the county’s complaint against the CDLE ruling.
Commissioners responded that the question of who is a county employee versus an independent agent is legally complex. One commissioner said the board has limited control over some agencies’ internal decisions and noted the county has joined litigation with Boulder County Public Health and the Boulder County Housing Authority to clarify which employees are governed by state collective-bargaining rules. The commissioners said resolving who is a county employee would help determine who the county can negotiate for, and they suggested the matter needs legal clarity before a bargaining table is fully defined.
No formal action or vote occurred at the May 1 session; commissioners offered to continue dialog and recommended staff and unions use the commissioners' email to follow up. The board also reminded the public of an additional town-hall style public comment session on May 6 in Longmont.
This article summarizes public comment and commissioners' remarks from the May 1, 2025 Boulder County Board of County Commissioners public comment session. There were no motions or votes recorded on bargaining or litigation during the meeting.
