The newly formed Boulder County Employees Union is accusing the county of failing to negotiate in good faith and delaying unnecessarily while staffing cuts are being made. County officials dispute the claims, saying delays are typical for a first contract and are compounded by a major budget deficit.
The union represents more than 1,400 employees, in what appears to be the largest union of county workers to form in Colorado since the passage of a new state law. It formed in January 2025 with a 442-221 vote. But the county’s legal challenge over whether Boulder County Housing Authority and Boulder County Public Health employees could be included stalled negotiations for months, even after the state Department of Labor ruled in the union’s favor. The county appealed, but in May, a Denver District Court judge denied BCHA and BCPH’s request to halt bargaining.
Union representatives allege the delay is evidence of bad-faith negotiating, as are what they describe as long gaps between county responses and a lack of counterproposals on key issues.
The union has also objected to the county’s use of outside lawyers for negotiations, saying they have been less willing to compromise than county staff.
County spokesperson Gloria Handyside said that the timeline is not unusual. “First contracts in collective bargaining take the longest to negotiate because both parties must establish the entire foundation of the working relationship,” she said. “On average, this process takes over a year.”
She said the county hired outside lawyers because labor relations is a specialized field and that “the county considers securing appropriate legal expertise part of its good governance responsibility.”
The delays feel particularly high-stakes for workers as staffing cuts mount. In October, the county eliminated about 90 positions, roughly a third of them filled, and signaled more cuts could follow as it confronts a $13 million budget shortfall driven by expenses rising faster than property tax revenue.
“Our members are scared and frustrated with how the county is handling the layoffs and budget cuts,” Brianna Barber, a union representative, told Boulder Reporting Lab. “They are even laying off a member of our bargaining committee at the end of December.”
Union pushes for short-term protections
The union is seeking short-term agreements before the 2026 county budget is finalized in December, focused mainly on the immediate impacts of layoffs.
Its requests include severance packages for employees laid off this year, extended rehiring rights for those workers if their positions are restored, and a commitment to make reasonable efforts to avoid further layoffs until a union contract is in place. These would be separate from the union’s full contract with the county.
The union has suggested the county consider alternatives to layoffs this year, like voluntary reduction in hours or unpaid leave, job sharing and furloughs. Boulder County has already taken one of those steps: It’s offering a voluntary severance package for full-time employees with at least 15 years of service who leave their jobs by the end of 2026.
The union is also pressing for interim protections for immigrant employees, including refusing ICE agents access to county worksites or employee information without a criminal warrant signed by a judge, and providing up to 30 unpaid days for immigration-related matters.
“We described to the commissioners that this was an urgent issue, and we needed their action immediately,” Barber said.
Barber said the union is not making progress on these requests, but has secured an interim wage increase: a 1% one-time bonus for the lowest-paid 10% to be paid in February.
Long-term goals
In the full contract, the union is pushing for a shift to just-cause employment, which would require a documented reason for termination. It is also seeking improvements in pay and benefits, including health coverage, sick time and PTO for seasonal workers, a larger cost-of-living adjustment and a minimum 5% pay increase.
Some employees say current wages are no longer sustainable.
“I did not get into government work to become rich,” said Tommy Roth, an extension specialist with Parks and Open Space. “This isn’t about the money, but I do need to be able to afford to live and raise a family in this county.”
“County employees should never be put in a position where they need to choose between serving the public or being able to afford the basic necessities of life,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is a choice we are faced with, and many people are choosing to leave employment with the county so that they can raise families or afford housing.”
Handyside said the county’s structural deficit limits what it can offer. The county has proposed a 4.3% raise for 2026, which, combined with cost-of-living adjustments, would bring the lowest-paid full-time salary to $52,000.
“This is at the high end of what other local public employers are offering in our region, and it’s as high as we believe we can go,” Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann said during an Oct. 14 budget meeting.
Jeez, government group unionizes, and the first thing they do, is threaten their employers.
And what’s tragic, it’s that the government will probably kiss the ring, and agree with all of their insane demands.
This, while boulder is showing a structural fiscal deficit.
The lowest wage worker at the city made just over $23/hour in 2025 so well below the county’s proposed 2026 raise of 4.3% plus cost of living adjustments (bringing the lowest paid worker up to $52k). Will be interesting to see what the city’s proposed raise will be for next year.