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By Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.

On Friday, I issued an executive order that authorizes state government managers and workers to enter into employee partnerships. Since then, some opponents have incorrectly characterized what this order does and does not do. Some of the criticism borders on hysteria. Here are the facts:

A majority of states and scores of municipalities and private businesses have implemented different methods of employee-management engagement over the years. But the framework outlined in this executive order is uniquely Colorado.

The goal is simple: bring managers and employees together to make government services more effective, efficient and reliable for the public, and make government a model employer so we can recruit and retain the highest-caliber work force in the country.

This is another step forward in the reform process we initiated when I took office 10 months ago. The Government Efficiency and Management (GEM) Performance Review is a perfect example of those reforms. As part of the GEM review, we asked employees for their efficiency ideas, and they responded by submitting an incredible 12,000 survey responses, some of which will lead to $145 million in savings and benefits over the next five years.

The partnership agreements authorized by the executive order advance that efficiency mission. We will better utilize employees’ knowledge, skills and ingenuity by encouraging snowplow drivers, state troopers, maintenance workers, administrative clerks and others to engage managers in discussions about ways to:

-- Identify and implement efficiency measures and eliminate waste and redundancies.

-- Improve customer satisfaction, such as reducing wait times.

-- Enhance employee recruitment, training and retention.

-- Improve workplace safety.

Innovative companies partner with their employees in this fashion to save money, improve products and enhance services. Employee partnerships reflect best management practices for running an operation in the 21st century. The partnerships authorized in this executive order are grounded in sound management principles, will help government run more like a business and will provide fairness and parity with management practices in the private sector.

Twenty-nine states provide collective-bargaining rights to their employees. What we have crafted for Colorado is not collective bargaining.

This is a moderate approach that allows me to retain full authority over making budget recommendations and preserves the legislature’s full authority to set the state budget. Existing laws that require a balanced budget and impose strict spending limits remain unchanged.

The order does not call for binding arbitration and does not require employees to join an employee organization or pay organization fees if they choose not to join.

Prior to this order, employees already had the ability to join an employee organization. This order creates a unique structure that requires state agencies to recognize employee organizations and establishes rules around how these organizations interact with department directors and the administration. The partnership agreements that flow from this order will help us more effectively serve the people of Colorado.

Existing State Personnel Board rules around hiring, disciplining and terminating employees are not affected by the executive order, and the order contains a very clear no-strike provision. Moreover, the order has no impact on private business or local government employees.

This order strikes a uniquely Colorado balance that allows for formal and engaged decision-making involvement by employees. This is about state employees and their workplace. It is about state government and improving the services we provide to the public.

I chose the executive order route rather than pursuing a statutory change after consulting with lawmakers because it allows me the flexibility and fluidity that I, as CEO of the state work force, need to effectively and efficiently manage state government. If the order needs to be altered in the future, it is much more adaptable by executive order.

I initiated this process because I believe it will be a positive step forward for state government, for our work force, and for the people of Colorado. I am confident that it will enable state government to better serve the public and ultimately improve customer — and taxpayer — satisfaction.

Bill Ritter Jr. is Colorado’s 41st governor.

READER COMMENTS

I have worked with the State Government for 30 years! I saw the worst decline within my last 5 years. As one of the employees I didn't have a voice within my agency. I did see alot of power given to supervisors and managers and I saw alot of firings of employees who had 25+ years. I saw alot of fidgeting of employees numbers to get them adjusted and eventually get them fired. Vacations were discouraged and you would pay with your production numbers later. I saw a supervisor abuse his power with sexual harrassment and get away with it and nothing was ever done. He is still working! Amazing! Its not just about money but about time the State employees have a voice! Good Job Governor Ritter!

Uh, Governor....
When you have to spend as much time as you have explaining why something is so "good" for everyone, it isn't.
You sold out to the Unions that helped elect you. Anyone with a brain can smell it, why deny the obvious?
How long before you declare it will be "good" for all Colorado that our TABOR refunds continue to be stolen for dubious purpose? You've actually surprised my by not, yet, making the case.
But you will, I have no doubt of that.

I am impressed with all of you Coloradoans. You really understand the negative impact this Order will have on you, the tax-payer, and you don’t fall for Governor Ritter’s smokescreen by calling this a “partnership”. We went through this with our last Governor. Union’s paid a large portion of his elaborate $1 million inauguration and six months later, Collective Bargaining by Executive Order. Luckily the Governor wasn’t smart enough to even try to give it a pretty face, he was more like a bull in a china shop and the result was he was ousted, even within his own party, by the end of term 1. Eventually the citizens spoke and elected an honorable Governor who rescinded the Order on day one. I can tell you that today we’re still cleaning up the mess created by our last Governor.

Don’t be fooled! Ritter says it’s a “partnership” “they can’t strike” “no binding arbitration” “legislator still sets wages”…don’t believe it! Its not how union’s work, they get to step 1, then its what have you done for me lately, then they get step 2, etc…you have a great state, don’t let your Governor give it away.

1.) Ritter says he's CEO of the State.. he wishes, he's never been CEO of anything. He's just a government bureaucrat and remains so.
2.) Ritter didn't need to institute a union obligation on government employees to get communication between employees and managemment. If that were so, Walmart and Japanese car manufacturers would not be as successful as they have been.
3.)With or without a union the same department heads that didn't listen to employees before are still there. What's the change except for collective bargaining? It's the attitude of your management team bill, not whether or not you have a union. It's called "a proacitve environment". Unions hardly bring that...
4.) It is truly a laugh when he says that greater efficiencies will occur when literally all of the examples show otherwise. Auto manufacturers struggling for their lives, the "Teacher's Union" that brought us from a #1 public school system in the world to number 19 are just two.
5.) This is about an "apology" for having the convention in a non-union "hall", the Pepsi center.. now he's put every Colorado tax payer on the chopping block to forward his political career. I personally pray that we kick him out next election along with the Salazar brothers. If Udall continues down his current path, he too will lose hopefully.
6.) When the union goes into collective bargaining will Ritter be the advocate of the taxpayer, or the Union.. bwaahahahahaahaha.... agricultural trespass..... both ways Bill.... yeah boy!

killers of Ismael Mena

felon-illegal-alien-heroin-dealer who's let out by Ritter to rape a child...

These are the friends of our governor, NOT the citizens of Colorado

hmmmmm, no one sees this for what it really is... a Democrat fund raising scheme....

Now that a small number of people can force the union down the throats of the rest of the workers... now these workers all pay union dues.

Now, ask yourself where these union dues go? yep, right back to the dems.

Pat on the back for Ritter, finding the best way to finance his next campaign... on the backs of workers.

The evidence is

Absolutely Repugnants, This is supposed to be a government for the people by the people. Not one that does business behind closed doors then ducks out by announcing it via a press release. I'm sure Bush has done this (don't know of any instances, but sure it happens regularly) and it is not showing leadership. If he believes in something he should be man enough to face the people he is imposing this on. So yes, It is wrong whether Bush does it or Ritter does it.
And by your description of this being "bad news" - do you agree that this was a bad order?

Jack Bauer,

I assume you've been equally offended every time the Bush administration releases bad news on friday afternoons.

"This order requires an employee to be represented by someone he doesn't want and whom has no obligation to represent his needs or desires."
I filed suit against Denver Public Schools in 2001, claiming this was a constitutional violation. You never got to read about it because the Post didn't think it was important enough to publish. Eventually DPS paid us a paltry amount to dismiss the case. We lost 99% of our faith in government in the process, and the remaining 1% the other day when Ritter made the whole state subject to DPS' own unique, unenforceable, unbalanced "labor rights" mechanism. It's a screw job for public employees, who already have a "labor rights" mechanism: It's called the Civil Service Act.

This order requires an employee to be represented by someone he doesn't want and whom has no obligation to represent his needs or desires.

'Exec order will serve Coloradans"

WRONG!!

Exec order will serve Colorado's unions

CORRECT!!

Gov Rittter, you are an employee of the great people of Colorado, not a CEO. Last I remember the CEO was never an elected position.

On the very afternoon that this EO was issued, the parasitic CAPE-SEIU sent out the following breathless e-mail:

We Did It!

Today Governor Bill Ritter issued an Executive Order that will allow us to vote for the state employee organization of our choice and enable us to negotiate job and service benefits directly. This is great news for state employees all across Colorado.

Sincerely,

CAPE-SEIU

Only the fringes of Colorado are represented in this blog's responses.

Mr. Ritter,
You have sold the taxpayers down the river. Your union initiative will only result in higher taxes and reduced levels of service from the state government. There is no other result from a unionized workforce.

Therefore, what other payoffs for the special interests that helped elect you can we expect in the near future???

If the benefits are so great then why didn't you hold a press conference on Friday afternoon instead of trying to slip this beneath the radar of the tax paying public?

Great diversion from the real issues that Colorado faces. Alongside the CO2 emission plan, for the hoax known as the Global Warming Issue, it appears that only the fringes of Colorado are represented.

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