While guest-hosting Newsradio 850 KOA's The Mike Rosen Show on November 5, Independence Institute president Jon Caldara urged voters to pass so-called Ask First ballot issues to limit the ability of local government entities to make payroll deductions for public employees. Caldara, however, failed to disclose that it was the Independence Institute that launched Ask First in several cities across Colorado. Caldara said Gov. Bill Ritter's (D) Executive Order D 028 07 -- which “allow[s] employee organizations to establish partnership agreements with the state” -- was “a first step ... to bring mandated unions to all levels of government in Colorado.” Caldara then said, “So if you're in Greeley, Centennial, Englewood ... now you know why [Ask First is] necessary.”

The Greeley Tribune reported on July 7 that the Independence Institute helped launch Ask First and that Caldara told the paper the free-market think tank “gave money and manpower” to help place an Ask First measure on the Greeley ballot. The Tribune described the measure as one that would “stop the city of Greeley from deducting union dues from city employees' paychecks.”

During the broadcast Caldara promoted Ask First campaigns in several cities while discussing Ritter's executive order. Caldara said several county “commissioners have passed a new ordinance saying that, if unions come into their county, the payroll system will not be used to suck money out of people's paychecks and give them to the union.” He later asserted, "[C]itizens in those districts decided to put it [Ask First] on the ballot, because they saw this [Ritter' executive order] coming." But while he acknowledged that he heads the Independence Institute and noted that voters in some Colorado counties “passed what we have been calling an 'Ask First' amendment,” Caldara never disclosed that the think tank is the primary sponsor behind the ballot issues.

From the November 5 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Mike Rosen Show, with guest host Jon Caldara:

CALDARA: Understand that I wear a couple hats here. I spend time with you on 850 KOA. My other job, of course, is running the Independence Institute. We've been aware of this for quite some time. In fact, it's interesting that several counties throughout Colorado, seeing that this mandate to unionize government workers were coming, have decided to take pre-emptive action. And they passed what we have been calling an “Ask First” amendment. That is, in Jefferson County, and Arapahoe County, and Weld, and Mesa, and El Paso, and I believe Teller, all these counties, the commissioners have passed a new ordinance saying that, if unions come into their county, the payroll system will not be used to suck money out of people's paychecks and give them to the union. That is, if the unions want their members' money, they're gonna have to go to the member directly and ask them first. Or to put it another way, government payroll systems that you and I own should not be used as conduits or collection agencies for unions. So these counties have decided pre-emptively to say, “You know what? We will not be the collection agency for a union if a union is mandated on us.”

In fact, tomorrow, if you live in Greeley, Centennial, or Englewood, you have the opportunity to pass this -- it's Issue 200 on all those local ballots -- to do the same thing for those city ballots. People said, “Well, why is this an issue? There's no mandate for people to get unionized.” Well, now we see it. The governor is beginning. This is a first step, not an end step, to bring mandated unions to all levels of government in Colorado. Hmm. So if you're in Greeley, Centennial, Englewood, Issue 200 -- now you know why it's necessary. You understand why citizens in those districts decided to put it on the ballot, because they saw this coming.

Although Caldara did not mention the connection, the Independence Institute home page displays the Ask First logo and a link to the campaign's website. And as the July 7 Tribune article reported:

Assisting [former Republican state Sen. Dave] Owen with the initiative is the Independence Institute, a conservative think tank based in Golden, which also is supporting similar efforts to restrict payroll deductions in Littleton and Englewood.

Jon Caldara, president of the institute, said his group gave money and manpower to help Owen with the petition drive.

“Government should get out of the business of politics,” Caldara said. “It should not be doing bookkeeping for any organization.”

Furthermore, the Independence Institute's website references a September 20 Rocky Mountain News editorial that “agrees” with the think tank's opposition to “the automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks” while noting the Ask First campaign. According to the News editorial:

Attempts to end the automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks without the prior consent of individual employees have generally gone nowhere. Legislation has failed. So have proposed ballot initiatives. The only paycheck protection measure that had any impact on automatic dues deductions -- a 2001 executive order from Gov. Bill Owens that covered state employees -- was rescinded by Gov. Bill Ritter this year.

The latest foray, however, known as Ask First, has chalked up some victories. Commissioners in Arapahoe, El Paso, Jefferson, Mesa and Weld counties have passed paycheck protection policies covering county workers. Voters in Centennial, Englewood and Greeley will decide in this fall's election whether those automatic deductions would end for unionized workers employed by those cities.

By the end of the year, the free-market Independence Institute, which launched Ask First, says it's possible that paycheck protection provisions might cover cities and counties where more than half of Coloradans reside.

As Colorado Media Matters noted, Independence Institute director of operations Amy Oliver similarly touted Ask First during her October 9 1310 KFKA show without mentioning the think tank's sponsorship of the campaign.