Colorado Fair Workweek Coalition Fighting for Working Coloradans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 3, 2023

Contact: Marcela Salazar | misalazar@ufcw7.com | 720-434-7550

Colorado voters support HB 1118, a win-win for employees and employers alike

DENVER – The Colorado Fair Workweek Coalition is proud to reaffirm their support for House Bill 1118, the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Act. This pro-working family coalition is made up of more than 30 organizations representing Colorado workers, and are fighting for the roughly 450,000 Coloradans in retail and food-service jobs who live on the edge because their employers keep them in the dark about when they’ll work, how long they’ll work and how much they’ll earn. A whopping seven out of ten Colorado voters support the Fair Workweek Schedule Act in a January 2023 poll.  

Contrary to allegations made by The Colorado Chamber of Commerce, which represents the interests of large corporations, HB 1118 would only apply to retail and food/beverage companies with 250 or more workers. Most public sector workers are not included except for the ability to request flexible scheduling that can be denied for any reason. 

Corporate employers regularly call in low-wage, hourly workers at the last minute and often send them home early. This puts an untenable burden on families trying to schedule childcare and medical appointments and those trying to make ends meet with unpredictable paychecks. Workers with unstable schedules experience physical stress, depression, financial instability, and sleep problems.  

“For years, my managers denied my request to accommodate a weekly medical appointment,” said Abby Vestecka, who used to work at a large supermarket chain. “The heavy lifting I did in the dairy department contributed to the need for back surgery. Even worse was I was frequently scheduled overnight with only 9½ hours to rest before I had to come in for my next shift. These harsh conditions and unpredictable work schedule took a real toll on me.”

“Predictable scheduling is actually a win-win for employees and employers alike because when workers are happier and healthier, they’re also more productive and businesses are more profitable,” said Kim Cordova, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 and Vice President of UFCW International. “When workers don’t have to worry about how they’re going to find childcare at the last minute or figure out how to pay the bills by picking up a second job without knowing when they’re available, they are able to really show up and do their best at their job.”

The Colorado Fair Workweek Coalition is grateful to Governor Polis for offering to provide feedback and keeping the conversation open with the 43 members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus of Colorado who prioritized Fair Workweek on their 2023 Policy agenda. 

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The Colorado Fair Workweek Coalition is committed to advancing fairness in the workplace for all Coloradans – more than 30 groups are members, including ACLU of Colorado, CLLARO, Colorado Education Association, Communications Workers of America, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Towards Justice and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7.

Local 7, is the largest private-sector Union in Colorado and Wyoming. It is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union which represents over 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada, one of the largest private-sector Unions in North America. UFCW members work in a wide range of industries, including retail food, food processing, agriculture, retail sales, and health care.