December 7th 2024.
On Saturday, the unionized legislative aides in Colorado raised concerns about state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis and called for her resignation or removal. This was in response to renewed allegations of mistreatment towards her employees in her office. The Political Workers Guild of Colorado wrote an open letter on December 7th to the leaders of the Colorado State Senate, stating their concerns.
According to the union, Jaquez Lewis has consistently shown that she is not capable of managing an office or taking on a leadership role as chair. They also accused her of not showing basic respect and decency towards her staff and colleagues. This comes after two of her staffers filed formal complaints stating that they were instructed to do household chores and bartend at a party hosted by Jaquez Lewis. The Colorado Sun reported that this led to her aides being removed from state-paid positions earlier this week.
This is not the first time that Jaquez Lewis has faced allegations of mistreatment towards her staff. Earlier this year, she was accused of withholding pay from a staffer, resulting in her removal as a committee chair and sponsor of a wage theft bill. In response to the union's letter, Jaquez Lewis stated that she takes it very seriously and would support an investigation into the concerns raised by the members. She also apologized for any miscommunication or actions on her part that may have caused harm to anyone. She mentioned that she is taking proactive steps to set up a nonpartisan HR management person for her staff to go to with any issues.
It has been reported that other Democratic lawmakers, including Senate President Steve Fenberg, have previously addressed Jaquez Lewis about her alleged mistreatment of employees. In a 2023 email, Fenberg expressed concern about her behavior and urged her to improve upon it. He also stated that Senate staffers would not assist her in vetting or placing aides in her office in 2024.
The Political Workers Guild of Colorado stated in their letter that these previous incidents, along with the latest allegations, show a serious lack of accountability by Jaquez Lewis. They also called for the creation of a formal system that would allow aides to express their grievances with legislators. The union believes that this is necessary in order to protect the fundamental rights of workers.
Jaquez Lewis was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2018 and secured a Senate seat in 2020. She was re-elected for another four-year term this year. The union's letter has sparked conversations about accountability and the need for a proper framework to address grievances within the legislative system. As the situation unfolds, many are closely following the developments and staying updated through Colorado Politics' weekly newsletter, The Spot.
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