In a move that could reshape the labor landscape at Colorado’s largest higher education system, a University of Colorado regent announced Friday a plan to introduce a policy to expand collective bargaining rights to faculty, staff, and student workers across all four CU campuses.
The proposal would amend regent policy to establish a clear process for faculty, university staff, and student workers to unionize and bargain over wages and working conditions. While classified staff already have these rights, a new policy would expand coverage to between 45,000 and 53,000 additional workers statewide.
If passed, the policy would establish a formal process for thousands of workers — including researchers, graduate assistants, medical trainees, postdoctoral researchers and hourly employees — to unionize and negotiate legally binding contracts.
“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,” said regent Elliott Hood, a prime sponsor of the proposal. “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.”
In a statement, a CU spokesperson said regent law and policy does give it authority to make this decision.
The road to a final vote is expected to span several months after gathering feedback from the campus community. The governance committee will have an opportunity to discuss the measure later in the spring. Union leaders say they hope for a full board vote in June.
Union says Colorado is an outlier
Labor advocates said the step toward bringing CU in line with peer institutions and recognizing the right of campus workers to have a voice in their working conditions.
Jade Kelly, president of the United Campus Workers Colorado — the campus union that represents faculty, staff and others — said Colorado is the only Democrat-led state without collective bargaining rights for public higher education employees. She said even institutions in more conservative states such as Nebraska, Kansas and Florida grant 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 stated. “It’s indefensible, and it’s long overdue for campus workers.”
Research shows that universities with collective agreements see improved retention, safer working conditions for both workers and students, according to the union.
Rising pressure from faculty and staff
The announcement follows years of escalating pressure from staff and faculty at all four campuses. The union staged rallies last fall where many expressed worry about an institutional shift away from hiring permanent faculty and staff, as well as a concern over working conditions.
Despite past friction, union leaders argue that collective bargaining can create a more collaborative relationship between the administration and the workforce. Kelly, who has worked at the university for 11 years as a staff member and program adviser for student government, said that workers and administrators often share the same priorities.
"We both want more higher education funding from the state and the federal government. We both want CU to succeed," Kelly said. "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."
A recent issue survey among union members cited compensation, academic freedom and workplace safety as the top three issues.
While some critics of public-sector unionization express concerns about budgetary impacts, regent Wanda James framed the proposal 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 said. “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.”
