University Of Colorado Regents Advance Major Union Rights Plan

In a move that could reshape the labor landscape at Colorado’s largest higher education system, the University of Colorado Board of Regents is preparing to consider a sweeping policy that would expand collective bargaining rights to tens of thousands of faculty, staff, and student workers across its four campuses. The announcement, made on January 23, 2026, marks a pivotal moment for campus labor advocates and signals a possible end to Colorado’s status as the only Democrat-led state in the nation that does not grant public higher education employees the right to collectively bargain.

The proposal, spearheaded by Regents Elliott Hood and Ilana Dubin Spiegel, would amend existing regent policy to establish a clear and formal process for university employees—including researchers, graduate assistants, medical trainees, postdoctoral researchers, campus police, and hourly workers—to unionize and negotiate legally binding contracts over wages, working conditions, grievance procedures, and more. Currently, only classified staff, who are covered by the Colorado WINS union, enjoy such rights, leaving between 45,000 and 53,000 additional CU workers without formal collective bargaining power.

Regent Elliott Hood, a former unionized public school teacher, has been vocal about his support for the measure. "As a former unionized teacher, I believe that every employee deserves a voice in the workplace and should have the right to collectively bargain and join a union," Hood said during the regent committee meeting, as reported by CPR News and The Denver Gazette. He added, "As a candidate for regent, I promised to work to change this policy and support the ability of all CU workers to collectively bargain and unionize … As regent, I am making good on that promise."

The policy’s official introduction is slated for the governance committee meeting on March 12, 2026, with a full board vote expected during meetings on June 4 and 5. The regents have signaled an intent to gather feedback from the university community over the coming months, aiming for a robust and inclusive debate. The governance committee will have the first opportunity to discuss the measure later in the spring.

Jade Kelly, president of United Campus Workers Colorado—the union representing faculty, lecturers, university staff, graduate workers, and undergraduate workers at both CU and Colorado State University—has been at the forefront of the campaign for expanded bargaining rights. "It’s a really, really exciting moment and something we’ve been working on for the past year," Kelly told Daily Camera. "To see it come to fruition and get pushed forward in a major way is something I’ve been waiting for these past 11 years (as a staff member)."

Kelly emphasized that Colorado’s lack of collective bargaining rights for higher education workers is an outlier, especially given that even more conservative states such as Nebraska, Kansas, and Florida already provide these rights. "The fact that we are in 2026, and we still don't have this right and that it's being treated as extreme or being rushed, is absolutely absurd," Kelly said. "It’s indefensible, and it’s long overdue for campus workers." According to union leaders, research shows that universities with collective agreements experience improved retention and safer working conditions for both employees and students.

The push for collective bargaining comes after years of escalating pressure from staff and faculty at all four campuses. In November 2025, union organizers and employees held a "Day of Action" across the CU system, rallying for bargaining rights and voicing concerns about a range of workplace issues. Among the most pressing are wage discrepancies between colleges and lecturers, flat-rate pay raises, a lack of student worker representation, and commuting costs that have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living. A recent union survey identified compensation, academic freedom, and workplace safety as the top three concerns for CU employees.

The broader national context has also played a role in galvanizing support for collective bargaining at CU. Last year, federal mandates targeting universities raised new uncertainties about academic freedom, with the CU system among those asked to sign a loyalty oath to the Trump administration’s agenda. "Without collective bargaining, workplace safety and academic freedom depend on the goodwill of our bosses," Kelly said in a statement to The Denver Gazette. "CU workers deserve a contract with binding protections that address unsafe labs, understaffed classrooms, and the freedom to teach, research, and speak without fear of retaliation or losing our jobs."

Despite past friction between labor advocates and university administration, union leaders argue that collective bargaining can foster a more collaborative relationship. Kelly, who has worked at CU for 11 years as a staff member and program adviser for student government, noted, "We both want more higher education funding from the state and the federal government. We both want CU to succeed. I love my job. I love my students. I love being able to go to CU each and every day ... and why I want collective bargaining, to have a real collective voice in the decisions our university makes."

While critics of public-sector unionization sometimes warn of potential budgetary impacts, supporters of the policy maintain that the benefits far outweigh the costs. Regent Wanda James, another strong advocate for the proposal, framed it as an essential investment in the institution’s integrity. "Collective bargaining is not a threat to the University of Colorado. It is a measure of whether we are willing to govern with integrity," James stated. "The financial cost is modest. The institutional cost of silence, turnover, inequity, and preventable risk is enormous. Expanding collective bargaining is not symbolic. It is a decisive step toward a university that actually lives up to its values rather than simply advertising them."

The policy, if enacted, would not include classified staff—already represented by the Colorado WINS union—or university officers, who are top senior administrative and academic leaders. According to the regents, the policy is designed to fill the gap for those currently excluded from collective bargaining, including campus police and a wide swath of academic and support personnel.

Colorado’s recent history has seen a steady expansion of collective bargaining rights for public workers. In 2020, the state legislature passed the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act, allowing state workers to unionize and bargain collectively. In 2024, Denver voters approved a ballot measure requiring the city to pass an ordinance ensuring city workers could begin collective bargaining as part of a union by January 1, 2026. The CU proposal, then, is the latest chapter in a broader movement toward labor empowerment in the state’s public sector.

As the regents prepare for months of deliberation and public feedback, the stakes are high for the university community. The outcome will not only affect the daily lives of tens of thousands of employees but may also set a precedent for other institutions in Colorado and beyond. For now, advocates and opponents alike are bracing for what promises to be a spirited debate over the future of labor rights at the University of Colorado.

With the full board vote anticipated for early June, the coming months will determine whether CU will finally join its peers in granting collective bargaining rights to its workforce—or remain an outlier in the national landscape of higher education labor relations.