People To Know In The Anti-Union Campaign

An initiative to break up union shops in Colorado will be the subject of a review and comment hearing held today at the capitol.

Meanwhile, e-mails from an open records request reveal some of the early and politically experienced supporters of the initiative.Aurora City Council member Ryan Frazier is one of the sponsors of the proposal, and according to e-mails sent to his government address, there could be a few key players to watch as the proposal moves forward.

One message was sent to Frazier by Dave Pearson, of the Pearson Communication Group, Inc. and former regional political director for the Republican National Committee. In the text, Person explains that he is a registered agent for a “right to work” group called Coloradans for Worker and Employer Rights, and inquires about supporting the initiative.

Another person mentioned is Rob Fairbank, a former state lawmaker and former political director of the Colorado Republican Party. Frazier mentions in e-mail that Fairbank is “certainly someone to know as this public discussion develops.” Fairbank also appears to be familiar with Pearson, as he also writes in e-mail that he has know him for “many years.”

According to the Aurora City Attorney’s office, e-mail is only saved for a maximum of 30 days.

This reporter will update readers on the hearing taking place today. Stay tuned!

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.

Comments are closed.