Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed a bill Friday afternoon that would have repealed​ a requirement for a second election to form a union, a provision that’s unique to the state.

The veto was expected, as Polis, a Democrat, said from the start of the 2025 state legislative session that he wanted to see a compromise between labor and business interests over the issue. That never came.

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Senate Bill 25-5 would have repealed the state requirement for a second election following a simple majority vote, per federal law, to form a union. The second vote requires 75 percent approval for workers to be able to negotiate whether every employee must pay into representation fees, regardless of union membership. Colorado is the only state to have that system. It was created through the Labor Peace Act over 80 years ago.

“I believe there must be a high threshold of worker participation and approval to allow for bargaining over mandatory wage deduction. And SB 25-005 does not satisfy that threshold, which is why I am vetoing the bill,” Polis wrote in his veto letter. “Nonetheless, I was and remain open to changes to the Labor Peace Act. The law can and should be amended to more fairly allow workers to choose union security.”

Polis wrote that the current system makes it easier to fully unionize at smaller companies than at larger ones “where organizing might be even more important.” He encouraged labor and business leaders to continue conversations about how to update the law.

“This two election framework makes Colorado a unique ‘hybrid,’ allowing for union security unlike ‘open shop’ states, but requiring a high threshold of approval to achieve it. I am disappointed we did not find common ground that would have resulted in me signing an updated and fairer Labor Peace Act,” he wrote.

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The bill was a priority for labor groups and progressive Democrats in the Legislature this year. It passed on party-line votes in both chambers, which Democrats control by wide margins.

“This veto from Governor Polis is a betrayal of working people in Colorado, but also one we are not surprised about,” Wynn Howell, Colorado Working Families Party state director, said in a statement after the veto. “Given that he is one of the wealthiest men in Colorado, it is no shock that he is woefully out of touch with public opinion on this question.”

Howell called on Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, two Democrats in the race for Colorado governor next year, to weigh in on whether they would have signed the bill.

“Will Senator Bennet or AG Weiser stand with workers? Or will they just be more of the same stale and out of touch anti-worker politics in Colorado? Neither one has said publicly whether they would sign the Worker Protection Act, and at this point their silence is deafening. We urge them to answer that question clearly and unambiguously,” they wrote.

Business groups applauded the veto.

“CCA members value the voice of their employees,” Colorado Contractors Association President and CEO Tony Milo said in a statement. “It is of utmost importance to ensure their voices count when it comes to deducting union dues from their paychecks. The Governor did the right thing today for workers across Colorado.”