On May 27, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a sweeping collective bargaining bill, one that would provide those rights to some 36,000 county workers throughout the state.

That law – made possible in part by the dogged persistence of AFSCME members – marked the fourth time in four years that public service workers have won a major expansion of collective bargaining rights.

Across the country, workers are asserting their power and driving a wave of organizing. The push for Colorado county workers to gain or expand a voice on the job came after major expansions of public sector collective bargaining in California, Virginia and Nevada, benefitting more than 100,000 workers.

Here are more details about each of those victories:

• 2022: A few years ago, workers in just two Colorado counties had the right to bargain collectively. This year, 36,000 county employees finally won a protected voice at work through landmark legislation passed by the state legislature.
• 2021: California child care providers ratified a historic first contract for 40,000 workers across the state. Nearly 20 years of organizing culminated in July 2021, when members of Child Care Providers United – a partnership between AFSCME and SEIU – overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. The contract included long-overdue pay raises for providers, investments in continuing education for a workforce made up mostly of women of color, investments to strengthen access to care for...

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