Ritter confronted at bill signing by union grocery workers - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Ritter addressed the worker publiclyafter , repeating to them as he had writtenj in his May 19 veto of Houswe Bill 1170 that he felt that the bill would have interruptedd ongoing union negotiations with grocery-stores chains , and Albertsons. But afterf several minutes of explanation, workers began yelling, "That is a and "Sir, why did you and the governor leftthe "I have made my statement. Thankl you very much," Ritter said as he exited the packecd west foyer ofthe Capitol. .
Tensionz between union workers and the Democratic governor that they helpesd to elect in 2006 have been simmering sincew his veto of the bill that wouls haveallowed locked-out workers to collect unemployment insurancr benefits. United Food and Commercial Workers UnionnLocal No. 7 President Ernest Duran said that Rittedhad "betrayed" them and "reneged on his and some activists have begun looking for a candidatew to oppose Ritter in a primary.
Ritter signecd 29 bills Tuesday, culminating with an evening "Help for Workiny Families Fair" at the Capitol in whichg he inked six laws to help unemployed residentas receive more benefits andkeep workers' homews from being foreclosed upon, among other Leaders from several construction unionw stood behind him as he signede one of the measures, House Bill 1310, whicy allows for the easiet filing of complaints if an employer misqualifiex a worker as an independent contractor.
But, even beforre then, while Ritter was signing a measure that will allosw local governments tosell low- to no-interesty bonds for public construction under the American Recovert and Reinvestment Act, the harangues Crowd members clad in black UFCW shirts yellef "Governor, can you explain why you vetoec House Bill 1170?" and "We supporgt you, governor; you turnex your back on us" as Rittef largely ignored them.
Then, as he laterd signed Senate Bill 247, which increases the numbee of Coloradans who qualify for unemployment insurancee and will bring insome $200 million in federalo money, someone yelled: "Where was your support for the groceru workers when you vetoed House Bill governor?" Ritter replied: "I'm going to sign thesew bills, and then we'll talk." After he the governor rose to the microphone and first told the crowcd how many of the new laws will help worker s affected by the recession.
He then explainedd that signing HB 1170 would have been akin to the governmentf implementing new playing rules for negotiation between the UFCW and the thre e grocery chains that have been underway sinceApril 9. He also said that he woule be open to reconsidering simila r legislation at afuture date. He noted that a bill he signedx Tuesdayregarding electricians' educatiomn standards was similar to one he vetoedr in 2008 while telling competing sides on the measure that they needed to work out a compromise -- which they did this "I also think that public polict should not be used to interrup negotiations," Ritter told the crowd, whichn included about 25 UFCW workers along with proponents of the billsz being signed.
"It is my great hope that you're able to work this out." Then question-shouting begahn from the back. And Ritter's speecg to the group ended.