Building Broadband Better in Colorado: Unions Urge State Broadband Office to Better Prioritize Fair Labor Practices in Colorado BEAD Plan

DENVER, CO – In response to the Colorado Broadband Office’s request for comment on Volume II of its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program proposal, Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 7, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 7, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists are calling for more robust labor standards and clear incentives for companies to prioritize a highly-skilled, local workforce to ensure the state’s broadband buildout is done right.

Specifically, the comments outline how Colorado must further prioritize forward-looking measures when it comes to fair labor practices, rather than retroactive measures of past compliance. Doing so would help incentivize companies’ good future performance on funded projects. Additionally, Colorado’s initial proposal only includes minimum requirements for a company’s record of labor compliance or compliance plans. Instead, the groups note how Colorado should incorporate additional high road labor factors, including prioritizing applicants that will use a directly hired, local workforce for broadband deployment, installation and maintenance, as well as applicants with robust in-house training programs tied to progressive wage scales, job titles, and certifications or skill codes recognized by the industry.

“High road labor practices and a company's capabilities to lead a successful buildout go hand in hand. In committing to strong labor standards, companies are also demonstrating greater managerial, technical and financial capacities to execute projects,” said CWA Local 7777 member Sandra Parker Murray, the CWA Colorado Broadband Lead Organizer and member of the Advance Colorado Consult Group. “As part of Colorado’s application process, the state needs to be asking companies who want to utilize this once-in-a-lifetime funding about their workforce and future plans. Do they pay prevailing wages? Do they have training programs? Will their workforce be directly hired and local? These questions are critical to ensuring funding coming to Colorado from the federal government stays in our state and contributes to growing good jobs and local economies.”

In addition to expanding the labor standards for applicants, the groups explain that Colorado must also clearly outline how it plans to enforce labor compliance. One way to ensure enforcement is by publicly posting the information applicants disclose regarding their skilled and qualified workforce. This will help the Colorado Broadband Office hold applicants accountable to their commitments and aid in enforcement.

“With BEAD funding, Colorado has a unique opportunity to ensure strong, reliable connectivity across the state and close the digital divide, but it needs to ensure transparency and a strong workforce to do that. States like New York and California have already indicated they are planning to adopt more transparent and robust fair labor practices, and it’s time Colorado steps up,” said CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister. “For Colorado to lead this buildout effectively and efficiently, the state must expand its labor standards, prioritize high road employers and ensure enforcement. The state is set to receive $826 million in funding, and we cannot afford to get this wrong.”

When it comes to the state’s options for broadband connectivity, the groups commended Colorado’s preference for fiber as a sustainable, scalable and renewable source for the buildout, and called for Colorado to make its preference for fiber more explicit by prioritizing it in harder to reach areas where it may be more expensive to deploy. They note in their comments that the state's investment in fiber should not be a place to cut costs; rather, by using fiber, Colorado can guarantee a network that lasts for generations to come.

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