DENVER (AP) — Colorado's public defenders launched a union drive on Thursday over high workloads and low pay for their staffs.
Organizers plan for around 750 public defenders, social workers, paralegals, and investigators to be eligible. But by state law, Colorado's judicial staff are not allowed to unionize.
Leaders of what will be called the Colorado Defenders Union hope the state legislature will pass a law codifying their right to collective bargaining.
In a similar case, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year allowing some county employees to unionize. As they wait on the state legislature, union organizers still plan to demand better working conditions.
