Letter to Westminster Window – printed September 2014
September, 2014
I am disappointed, but not surprised by columnist Bill Christopher’s attack on the proposal to grant collective bargaining rights to city firefighters. Mr. Christopher’s position is elitist, extreme, and unfortunately typical of many local government officials and control soldiers who believe they have the right to interpret the bill of rights as they see fit. I commend the City Councilors’ who stood up for the Firefighters and the basic principle of freedom of association. Federal law has long-established joining a union as a right, not a privilege or optional measure that should be subject to a public vote. If Mr. Christopher was consistent with his position he would also call for a public vote before municipalities could join the Colorado Municipal League. Workers’ joining a union to protect their interests is not a ballot initiative. Consider the fact that many people have come to believe that local governments have become a bigger threat to individual liberty than the Federal government ever was. Corporate influence on government and the growing economic disparity is a separate, but relevant discussion.
My next job will be in your city working in the private sector, but I previously worked twenty-five in a Federal prison. Joining a union was not about pay or benefits for most. It was about safe working conditions, employee morale, and respect for work. Mr. Christopher went out of his way to exaggerate and distort his perceived adverse impacts of collective bargaining and fails to mention that most municipal employees have far fewer employment rights than even the limited rights established for Federal employees in every state in the country. Those employment laws serve the public interest by making the government more accountable and efficient. More importantly, those laws recognize the democratic principles that define our nation.
Timothy D. Allport
Arvada, CO