It's been a busy week here at Protect Colorado's Future.
On Monday, we were one of several groups that submitted petitions to the Secretary of State to place initiatives on the November ballot. We are proud to say that over 130,000 Coloradans joined us in signing petitions on behalf of the Just Cause initiative, a common sense measure that will protect good workers from being fired arbitrarily. Many voters who signed the petitions were shocked to learn that in Colorado you can be fired "at will" for taking a sick day, for your political views or even for having a bad haircut. With the unemployment rate in Colorado higher than it's been in almost 3 years, we believe this measure is critically important to Colorado's families and we are looking forward to seeing it on the ballot.
Last week we also submitted petitions signed by more than 123,000 Coloradans for the Colorado Corporate Fraud initiative, a proposal aimed at holding corporate executives accountable for the fraud that happens within their companies. Colorado taxpayers spend billions every year cleaning up the messes made by corporate criminals. One only has to look at the case of Joe Nacchio, former CEO of the Denver-based communications company Qwest, to see why this initiative is important to Colorado. As the New York Times explained in an article on the issue earlier this year, this measure would bring "unprecedented individual accountability" and make Colorado a leader in the crackdown on corporate crime.
These are just two of the issues we are working on this year. As we get closer to November, you will also hear about our opposition to Amendments 47, 49 and initiative 59, three anti-worker ballot issues that would harm Colorado and interfere in the workplace. This trio of measures would limit the ability of public employees like firefighters, nurses, teachers, and police officers to advocate for change in the workplace, make it harder for nurses to advocate for safer staffing levels to ensure quality patient care, for teachers to push for smaller class sizes and organizing to improve our schools, and for police officers and firefighters to work together to get the equipment they need to keep us all safe. We believe Amendments 47, 49, and initiative 59 are dangerous constitutional amendments that will pit employers and employees against each other when we should all be working together to kick start our economy and create good paying jobs.
If you agree with us, please consider joining our coalition. We are adding new members from across Colorado every single day. You can learn more about our issues, sign up for information or make a donation on our website at protectcoloradosfuture.org. Be sure to visit our Facebook page and become a fan to see the latest photos, videos and news or connect with other supporters. Of course, we'll also be posting here at DailyKos in the coming weeks and months to keep you updated on our issues and what we are doing to spread the word as we get closer to Election Day.
Protect Colorado's Future is a coalition of progressive groups and individuals from around Colorado who've come together to work on the important issues facing our state -- issues like creating good jobs and providing affordable health care. We support measures that will protect our future and oppose special interest policies that will set us back.