Backers of Amendment 47, the right-to-work measure, are not giving up hope despite a six-page ad taken out against the proposal in today's Rocky Mountain News and two similar full-page ads in The Denver Post.
COLORADO'S FRONTPAGE
Face the State
Content Index: Amendment 47
Follow this topic by RSSRight-to-work backers stay confident into home stretch
November 3, 2008Union chief clears $430k in 2007 for self, two children
A Face the State Staff Report
October 31, 2008
Ernest Duran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, paid himself and two of his children combined salaries of over $430,000 in 2007.
FTS Humor: Time to change the channel
Face The State Humor
October 30, 2008By Andrew Ripemoff
It’s been an incredibly exciting campaign season, and today, we look back at all the hot button people and issues making news this election cycle. I’m talking about things like "Joe the Plumber," "Jeremiah Wright," and the $700 billion Wall Street bailout which, coincidentally, is the same amount Mark Udall has spent trying to tear down Bob Schaffer.
"The Buzz" on Newstalk 1310 KFKA, 10/27 - Colorado Concern and Amd. 54
October 27, 2008
Face The State managing editor Brad Jones visits with Newstalk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver. An internal fundraising memo obtained by Face The State indicates Colorado Concern, the statewide "pro-business" group, has redoubled its efforts toward defeating Amendment 54. What does this last-minute appeal for cash say about the Nov. 4 election?
Initiative campaigns' final pitch for your vote
A Face the State Staff Report
October 21, 2008Mail-in ballots have been trickling back to County Clerks' offices, and early voting began Monday with record turnout. Face the State gave each of 10 remaining ballot initiatives the opportunity to write a short column explaining why voters should support or oppose each measure.
Election battle could set stage for more aggressive labor lobby in 2009
A Face the State Staff Report
October 15, 2008Colorado’s Labor Peace Act has created a kind of harmony between organized labor and business owners for the past 65 years, but recent political maneuvers by business leaders and union activists threaten to dismantle the old law.
Jake Jabs: Unions want it all in Colorado
October 8, 2008
Who doesn't like Jake Jabs? He's been bringing trademark low, low prices to cost-conscious Coloradans (not to mention college students and transplanted Californians-turned-Coloradans) since the 1970's through his growing network of American Furniture Warehouse retail outlets.
Unions make business community an offer it can't refuse
A Face the State Staff Report
October 3, 2008
Union bosses struck a deal with members of the business community Thursday, agreeing to pull four measures from the ballot in an act some liken to extortion.
"The Buzz" on Newstalk 1310 KFKA, 9/29 - No deal after all on "poison pill" amendments?
September 29, 2008Face The State managing editor Brad Jones talks with Newstalk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver about the back-room negotiations between Colorado Concern, Gov. Bill Ritter and the state's largest labor unions. Sources tell Face The State a deal, once thought to have been agreed upon, is unraveling amidst critical media attention.
FTS sources: Union-business deal falls through
A Face the State Staff Report
September 28, 2008Colorado business leaders have been working behind the scenes to strike a deal with organized labor that would remove four economically devastating union-backed amendments from the ballot in exchange for millions from the business community. But according to inside sources, the negotiations are being derailed by media attention and political pressure.
Blake fallout hinders union fundraising effort
A Face the State Staff Report
September 25, 2008News reports by The Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post exposing a backdoor deal between organized labor and business "leaders" have forced Joe Blake, president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, to publicly distance himself from what opponents are calling an "unholy alliance."
9/22: Unions duck out on a debate
Why do opponents of this year’s right-to-work initiative refuse to debate the issue?
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Union rep skips televised debate
A Face the State Staff Report
September 21, 2008
KBDI Channel 12 has been playing host to a series of debates about Colorado’s 14 ballot initiatives, giving both sides of each issue a chance to meet face-to-face. But Monday night's shows will feature an empty chair where Jess Knox, executive director of Protect Colorado’s Future, would have sat. Knox pulled out of two "Colorado Decides" debates, taped Friday, leaving producers no time to seek an alternative representative.
Political Cartoon for 9/19: Appeasement, chamber style
Face The State Humor
September 19, 2008
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce president Joe Blake is deeply involved in negotiations with Gov. Bill Ritter and bosses of the state's biggest unions. Will Blake sell out the business community in a pact with big labor? Before following through, he may want to study up on how well appeasement worked for British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
Liberal ballot 'education' event draws fire
A Face the State Staff Report
September 17, 2008
Representatives from Colorado’s liberal non-profits gathered for the first of several “educational” forums, during which speakers advocated for or against the different measures on this November’s ballot. The speakers went unchallenged and according to some campaign representatives, provided false information to attendees. While 35 organizations heavily promoted the event, only about 50 people came to forum held in Sturm Hall at the University of Denver Tuesday night.
Is that you, Pot? Meet Kettle!
September 9, 2008Protect Colorado’s Future, a union front group fighting this November's Right To Work initiative, titled Amendment 47, is hypocritically pointing the finger at "out-of-state" interests the group alleges are trying to “divide Coloradans.”
Business Groups Merge to Fight Union Initiatives
A Face the State Staff Report
August 22, 2008Two groups opposed to four union-backed anti-business initiatives slated to appear on the November ballot announced today that they are merging to form an opposition coalition. Defend Our Economy, a group launched in April “to analyze and communicate the potential impacts of this baffling array of proposed initiatives on all Colorado businesses,” is merging with Coloradans For Responsible Reform, an issue committee formed by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Left Uses Grueskin-led Litigation as Latest Campaign Tool
A Face the State Staff Report
August 19, 2008Campaign managers and consultants move over and make way. The most important weapon in today's political arsenal is a campaign's attorney. Lawsuits are the latest device employed by the left to take on conservative and libertarian candidates and causes. Mark Grueskin, a favorite litigator among Democrat activists, is leading the charge.
Clean Government Initiative Submits Signatures to Secretary of State
A Face the State Staff Report
July 31, 2008Clean Government Colorado, the campaign for Initiative 59, submitted nearly 125,000 signatures Wednesday to the Colorado Secretary of State. If certified for the ballot and approved by voters this November, the proposal would prohibit government contractors holding no-bid contracts from making campaign contributions to political parties and candidates.
Unions seek to counter conservative ballot dominance
A Face the State Staff Report
July 30, 2008With an August 4 signature submission deadline looming, four union-backed initiative campaigns maintain that they are one step closer toward seeing their proposals make the November ballot. If successful, the initiatives could provide a dramatic ideological shift to the election, with the only four initiatives certified for the ballot thus far all representing conservative and free market causes.
Union attack ad fails two TV stations' truth tests
July 21, 2008An attack ad aired by the union-backed campaign coalition Protect Colorado's Future received failing grades from two Denver television stations. CBS 4 found the ad "ignored" key substantive information while a 9 News analysis found it contained more opinion and conjecture than fact.
Judge tosses lawsuit targeting Aurora Councilman
July 11, 2008A lawsuit against Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier has been thrown out by an Arapahoe County Judge.