Colorado State University students and Fort Collins city workers marched from the Lory Student Center Plaza to the Federal Building in a demonstration advocating for workers’ rights and labor unions Friday, May 2.
The message of the demonstration was to demand Gov. Jared Polis to sign SB25-005, otherwise known as the Worker Protection Act. The bill, formally called the Worker Protection Collective Bargaining Act, would eliminate the requirement for employees to conduct a second election to negotiate a union security agreement clause in the collective bargaining process.
The march was organized by the Fort Collins chapter of Democratic Socialists of America and joined by the Communications Workers of America Union and the Poudre Education Association.
The protest began with the Young Democratic Socialists of America, wherein speakers discussed the subsequent march, recounted anecdotes of successful unionization and brainstormed ways to further protect workers’ rights and the CSU student body.
“I’ve been helping organize this labor march for the past month or so since I became the labor chair,” said Nicholas Sahwin, DSA labor committee chair. “It only felt natural that we have someone from the city being able to speak about the unionizing effort with the city.”
Throughout the march, passing cars and motorcycles honked and revved to express support for the cause.
Federal cuts to public education motivated a significant number of people to march. Sustained funding cuts in public education at the secondary and higher education levels became a core message during the labor march. Educators present at the march, including both Poudre School District teachers and CSU professors, talked about budget cuts as a motivator to encourage unionizing schools.
“We shouldn’t have to be going to these charity events; they should be paying us enough to afford these things in the first place.” -Jonas Andersen, CSU chapter of YDSA co-chair
“We have to stand strong against cuts to education,” said Wendy Bergman, Poudre School District teacher. “This year alone, we had to fight $400 million in proposed cuts to K-12. We not only stopped the cuts, but we were able to gain additional investment this year because we stood up and we took action. We shut down schools across the state on March 20 and had 8,000 people at the (Colorado State) Capitol to fight for schools and educators.”
The march is one part of a sustained effort from the Fort Collins wing of the DSA to increase membership and garner support. The DSA held the May Day Picnic the following Sunday, May 4, featuring speakers from local unions and speakers from municipal politicians.
“The big thing we’re trying to do here today is to get more recognition for our unions,” said Jonas Andersen, co-chair of the CSU wing of YDSA. “They’re fighting for higher wages. They’re fighting for benefits. You should not have to work three different jobs just to afford rent and tuition.”
The effects on student-workers from labor conditions and federal cuts to higher educational programs sparked discontent among student protesters. During the speeches, they discussed the harm that has resulted from such actions and called out the university for their response, which they viewed as inadequate.
“It’s so upsetting … all the time when bosses, managers and CSU is like ‘You guys should just go to the Ram Pantry or go to this charity food source,’” Andersen said. “We shouldn’t have to be going to these charity events; they should be paying us enough to afford these things in the first place. … I recently saw one of the labs I was working for lose (National Institutes of Health) funding and is no longer being funded by the government. So I will not have a job at the end of the semester, and that is messed up.”
The DSA plans to continue fighting for workers’ rights and advocating for labor unions. Sahwin said he, along with DSA, will support any unionization efforts of Fort Collins’ workplaces.
“It’s not (a) community of people who are out for something for themselves,” Sahwin said. “We show up for people to help them get what they need. If you want to organize your own workplace, as soon as you make it public, we will hear about it, and we will show up for you.”
Reach Robert Sides at news@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.
