Face the State Staff Report
GREELEY—In an era when union membership is declining nationally and statewide, State Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, is seeing more campaign contributions from union chiefs than ever before.
According to the national campaign-tracking Web site, www.FollowtheMoney.com, unions from outside of Riesberg’s district played a key support role in his re-election campaign against former state Sen. Dave Owen in 2006. Of the more than $100,000 Riesberg raised, 14 of his top twenty contributors were big labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, and unions representing firefighters, service employees, and teachers. These associations netted Riesberg nearly $37,000 in his defeat of Owen.
The numbers signified a sharp rise from Riesberg’s 2004 bid for House District 50. In that race to represent Greeley and Evans in northern Colorado, one-third of Riesberg’s campaign contributions came from unions. According to FollowtheMoney.com, more than $8700 the total of more than $47,000 in Riesberg’s coffers that year came from labor unions, and just 18 percent of contributions came from voters within the district.
Between the 2004 and 2006 contests, Riesberg also managed to expand his out-of-state influence by raising nearly 14 percent of his campaign funds from outside of Colorado.
As a point of comparison, State Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, who represents nearby House District 49, he raised about $26,000 for his 2006 re-election campaign. Of this, he received no contributions from labor unions, and only two contributions of more than $400, with the much of his remaining support coming from small donors from within his county.
Federal government statistics demonstrate that declining membership at both the national and state levels have been continuous and substantial over the last several years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2005 and 2006, Colorado unions lost nearly 5000 members. During the same time, Colorado’s workforce grew by approximately 100,000. Colorado’s experience with union membership paralleled a national trend, with 31 states seeing a drop in their share of union members during these same years.
The unions’ investment in Riesberg helped them jump out to an aggressive start at the beginning of the 2007 legislative session. Riesberg actively supported HB-1072, legislation designed specifically for union bosses to strengthen their organizations by making it easier for unions to expand their membership by decreasing the number of votes required to establish a union shop. While the bill passed both houses of the democrat-controlled state legislature, outrage within the business community and outspoken editorials in opposition to the bill led Gov. Bill Ritter, D-Denver, to veto it.
While Riesberg is known for his townhall meetings and community forums on almost every issue, according to one of his constituents, he held no such forum or meeting on giving more power to union bosses. “I think he [Riesberg] is more interested in paying back his union buddies than representing the voters,” lamented Christy Rodriguez, a resident in Riesberg’s district.
For the record, Lundberg voted no on HB-1072.
So what?
On June 20th, 2007 tallport says:
Ok, so he has labor support, so what? He has a solid record to stand on.
jim riesberg
On April 4th, 2007 reveal says:
Define moderate.
To me a moderate is
On April 5th, 2007 LarimerBoy says:
someone who passes fair, logical legislation that has bipartisian support. Here is what the Greeley Tribune (not exactly the most liberal rag in the world) had to say.
"Here, the Tribune grades the 2006 General Assembly's accomplishments.
« Local legislators kept busy this session, especially Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley. He carried 17 bills this session -- the average is 10 -- and many of them will become law this summer. Thanks to Riesberg, Colorado is the first state to create an Amber Alert system for senior citizens who go missing, identity theft is now a felony and the bioscience industry, which could inject some real momentum into Colorado's economy, has a $2 million incentive to foster business here. Riesberg: A+"
jim riesberg
On April 5th, 2007 reveal says:
Make no mistake -- the Tribune is left of center and out of touch with Greeley and Weld County. Check the Tribune endorsements and editorials versus how Weld County votes. As for Riesberg, he has voted with the Dems on nearly every piece of legislation this session accept Hagedorn's tanning bed bill. Riesberg is pro taxes, pro big government, pro gun control, pro abortion, pro unions, anti individual civil liberties, anti-small business, anti taxpayer. He has voted for legislation that creates new programs -- diverting funds from transportion and capital construction. He is a lot of things but "moderate?" That's one that I'm not buying.
Jim Riesberg
On April 4th, 2007 LarimerBoy says:
is a standup guy. He is a moderate that serves his constituents well. He had bipartisan support for his campaign and to think that he is "paying back his union buddies" is a huge insult to a fine public servant.