Many Coloradans were made aware by the pandemic that state employees already knew: state infrastructure and services are underfunded, underresourced, and understaffed.
This is why the recent negotiation between the state and state employees was so important for both state workers, and Colorado families who depend on public service, such as snow plowing, patient care, or jobs like mine.
We are grateful to Gov. Jared Polis supported these investments and released his November budget. Coloradans in every corner benefit from investing in state workers. We are happy that the governor has reaffirmed his support for the public services that keep our communities afloat.
These additional, crucial investments must now be supported by Colorado’s state lawmakers in the budget at the legislative session. We hope that legislators will understand the struggles state workers like me face every day and why these investments matter.
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I am an Environmental Protection Specialist at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources in three counties of the Western Slope. I inspect oil and natural gas production facilities in order to ensure safety for employees and the communities around them. My colleagues, me, and others are the eyes, ears, and protectors of Coloradans from threats to the air, water and land that we all depend on.
We direct the companies that operate to correct environmental problems if we find one. We ensure that any leaks are promptly fixed. We work with oil and gas companies to ensure that land is restored enough to sustain vegetation again after they close.
My passion is for my job and the work I do to protect Colorado for future generations. Our work is crucial to ensure that production facilities are properly managed and to minimize potential environmental impacts. Our efforts to clean up any spillages and prevent them from ever happening again protect our drinking water, soil, as well as the great outdoors.
Our agency, like many other departments in the state, is short-staffed and underfunded, making our mission difficult. We are making a significant effort in order to address historical threats to the environment and continue the difficult work of regulating the ongoing industry operations.
My office workload has increased approximately threefold. This means that I no longer have the time to adhere to my previous inspection schedule. State employees like myself are working harder than ever in order to provide quality services in light of this increased workload, but there are only so many hours in a day.
This lack of investment into our public agencies creates real safety concerns and has been going on for decades. This is not an isolated problem. State employees in Colorado face dangerous understaffing due to low salaries and decades of underfunding. 2018 Nearly 20% of state job openings were vacantWe are paid 16% less than our peers at work.
We were able to negotiate significant investments that will improve public services for all through our contract with the state. We were able to negotiate better wages which will reduce the almost 15% annual turnover rate among state employees who are looking for work that makes it easier to support their families. We can improve our ability to retain and attract state employees so that we can perform critical functions such as road safety and protecting water quality, caring for loved ones, and caring about Coloradans.
Recently, I explained to my state senator that I view my job as fulfilling and helping to restore the environment. But stagnant wages and a growing workload are beginning take their toll. The work load isn’t sustainable, and I am worried about the job that I love for the first time in six years.
However, if state legislators support the provisions in our new contract I believe Ill be able to do the work that the people of our state deserve and need.
We hope that our elected leaders will continue investing in state services to address the underfunding and understaffing. We can all work together to ensure that every Colorado family and community can thrive.
Steven Arauza is a resident of Rifle.
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