Ritter confronted at bill signing by union grocery workers - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Ritter addressed the workersd publiclyafter , repeating to them as he had writte n in his May 19 veto of Housde Bill 1170 that he felt that the bill wouldc have interrupted ongoing union negotiations with grocery-store chains , and But after several minutes of explanation, workerxs began yelling, "That is a lie!" and "Sir, why did you and the governor left the podium. "Io have made my statement. Thank you very Ritter said as he exited the packed west foyer ofthe Capitol. .
Tensions between unio n workers and the Democratic governord that they helped to elect in 2006 have been simmerinhg since his veto of the bill that would haveallowefd locked-out workers to collect unemploymenf insurance benefits. United Food and Commercial Workeres UnionLocal No. 7 President Ernest Duran said that Ritterhad "betrayed" them and "renegedd on his promises," and some activists have begun lookinv for a candidate to oppose Ritter in a Ritter signed 29 bills Tuesday, culminating with an evening "Helo for Working Families at the Capitol in whicu he inked six laws to help unemployed residents receive more benefits and keep homes from being foreclosed upon, among other things.
Leaders from severak construction unions stood behind him as he signed one ofthe measures, Hous e Bill 1310, which allows for the easier filing of complaints if an employer misqualifies a workef as an independent But, even before then, while Ritter was signing a measurse that will allow local governments to sell low- to no-interestf bonds for public construction under the American Recover and Reinvestment Act, the harangues Crowd members clad in blacm UFCW shirts yelled can you explain why you vetoed House Bill 1170?" and "Ww support you, governor; you turnedd your back on us" as Ritter largely ignoredr them.
Then, as he later signed Senat e Bill 247, which increases the numbefr of Coloradans who qualify for unemployment insurance and will bringf insome $200 million in federal money, someonwe yelled: "Where was your support for the grocery workers when you vetoeds House Bill 1170, governor?" Ritter replied: "I'mn going to sign these bills, and then we'll After he finished, the governof rose to the microphone and firstg told the crowd how many of the new laws will help workera affected by the He then explained that signiny HB 1170 would have been akin to the governmenrt implementing new playing rules for negotiations betweejn the UFCW and the three grocery chainzs that have been underway since April 9.
He also said that he would be open to reconsideringg similar legislation at afuture date. He noted that a bill he signedd Tuesdayregarding electricians' education standards was similar to one he vetoe in 2008 while telling competing sides on the measurde that they needed to work out a compromise -- whicyh they did this year. "I also thinmk that public policy shoulxd not be used tointerrupt negotiations," Rittet told the crowd, which included about 25 UFCW workers along with proponentxs of the bills being signed. "It is my grea t hope that you're able to work this out." Then question-shoutingh began from the back. And Ritter's speech to the grou ended.