Gov. Bill Ritter announced yesterday the dates of four furlough days for state government. And taking a page right out of Mayor John Hickenlooper's playbook, the state has conveniently scheduled its new unpaid days off adjacent to paid holidays. At the risk of raining on state employees' parade, we ask why long weekends should be made even longer causing state services to be inaccessible for up to four days at a time.

Hours after the news broke that the state faces a $384 million budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year, the Colorado state employees’ union, Colorado WINS, asked the Joint Budget Committee for higher pay and benefits. Talk about awkward timing.

David Ohmart, state employee and self-proclaimed "biggest loser" behind the blog Colorado LOSES, has been nothing but a nuisance for state employee union Colorado WINS. In February, WINS intimidated Ohmart into silence at its Capitol lobbying day and now Ohmart says one of WINS' leaders has taken it up a notch, banning him from all future WINS events.

Last March, Colorado WINS banned a Face the State reporter from an organizational meeting. One year later, it looks like not much has changed. At the first annual Colorado WINS lobbying day at the Capitol last week, "non-union Rep." Dave Ohmart, founder of Colorado LOSES, was intimated into silence during a question and answer period with Gov. Bill Ritter.

Last month, a measure that would have required public-works contractors to pay union-level wages, also known as the “prevailing wage,” was killed thanks to bi-partisan opposition.

Since then, Capitol insiders have been buzzing that union leaders believe Gov. Bill Ritter abandoned them the bill, and in response, are gearing up to form a new campaign committee called “Liar” that could be used to help unseat Ritter in a 2010 primary challenge.

Last weekend the state's largest union coalition used whatever means possible to energize its members, including linking public workers' struggles to those of Hurricane Katrina victims and making libelous claims that local conservative politicians, activists and pundits are to blame for the current economic crisis.

Ever a curious bunch over here at Face The State, we took notice when Colorado WINS, a union coalition, announced festivities to kick off its latest effort and elect new leadership this weekend in Denver. When we asked to attend, our request was declined.

Since a November executive order issued by Gov. Bill Ritter went into effect permitting unions to organize state employees, Colorado's labor leaders have acted like lonely high school seniors desperately in search of prom dates.