Part of a “recipe for escalating class warfare”
It continues to alarm me that opponents of the Worker Protection Act (that would overturn the Labor Peace Act) use the union shop argument as a false defense of workers’ rights. Compelling union membership vs. open shop contracts is an important discussion, but the existing Colorado Labor Peace Act is designed to stop union organizing and nothing more. They are fully aware of this because they are the same people who oppose open-shop unions as well.
The Labor Peace Act curtails freedom of association for thousands of people who want to improve their lives. It is not just about money. The right to organize is about public safety, work schedules and appeal rights. In short, it is about due process of law. People who truly believe in freedom of speech and association could modify this bill to mandate strong open-shop contacts, but they choose to label anything they disagree with as extreme or overregulation — especially labor law, considered by many as “anti-business” which is a death knell that has helped turn the two-party system into a smoldering mess.
Looking at the big picture, I think the fedearl DOGE and the Colorado Labor Peace Act resemble a perfect recipe for escalating class warfare. Colorado is a blue state. I hope Gov. Jared Polis listens to Sen. Bernie Sanders on this one (but not on everything).
Tim Allport, Arvada
Please stop the whining
That ubiquitous sound coming to your neighborhood soon is not from beautiful songbirds or children’s distant voices on the playground. No, it’s the piercing whine of the annoying gas leaf blower.
Their use, especially by lawn service companies, seems to be growing by the yard. Is it really necessary to move every grass clipping and every dry leaf off your hardscapes? This noise pollution interrupts our relaxing moments, cozy chats and the peace we all deserve.
The noise level of a gas leaf blower with its two-stroke engine can reach up to 100 decibels. So, if you have to blow, choose battery-powered over gas-powered. Or just get out the broom!
T. Allen, Littleton
Medical debt should remain off credit reports
Re: “Lawmakers urged to increase consumer protection,” March 20 news story
The former general counsel for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently briefed Colorado’s Judiciary committees.
One CFPB action that our congressional delegation should work to protect is the rule that prohibits credit reporting companies like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian from sharing medical debt information with lenders, which then gets used in calculating credit scores.
Medical debt is not like other kinds of consumer debt and should be treated differently.
Often medical debt is unavoidable — people get sick and suddenly face large medical bills, which can take months to pay off. However, if they can’t pay it off within 90 days of receiving the medical bill, their credit score gets dinged.
Even worse, medical bills sometimes have errors, which take time to fight. Complaints from people about debt collection attempts on medical bills that were not owed increased by 31% from 2018 to 2021. People shouldn’t feel pressured to pay a bill they don’t owe just to protect their credit score.
Under the CFPB rule, people still owe legitimate medical bills. But that debt would not factor into their credit reports.
This is something the Colorado legislature has also tackled in a bipartisan fashion. Our federal representatives should protect the medical debt rule. Let’s let families recovering from health issues get back on their feet medically as well as financially.
Danny Katz, Denver
Editor’s note: Katz is executive Director at CoPIRG.
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