Colorado Springs voters will decide Issue 1 on April 2, 2019. Issue 1 is a citizen initiative designed to allow collective bargaining for city fire employees. If approved, Issue 1 would allow uniformed city fire employees, aside from the fire chief and the fire chief’s direct reports, to select and remove a bargaining representative. The bargaining representative would negotiate agreements with the city regarding fire employees’ salaries, wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Ballot measure committee Firefighters for a Safer Colorado Springs registered in support of Issue 1. As of the March 1 campaign finance filing date, the committee had reported $320,154.04 in total contributions to the support campaign, #YESon1. The group reported $234,771.39 in expenditures.

The committee Citizens Against Public Employee Unions registered to oppose the initiative. As of March 1, Citizens Against Public Employee Unions had reported $245,119.18 in total contributions and $39,698.72 in expenditures for the opposition campaign, No on #1.

The Colorado Springs chapter of the International Association of Firefighters union— Local 5—leads among donors to the #YESon1 campaign with $219,509.05 total contributions. The group Colorado Springs Forward is the top donor to the No on #1 campaign, with $81,000.00 in contributions.