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By PETER MARCUS

Denver Daily News Staff Writer

Union membership raises the wages of low- and middle-income workers in Colorado and across the nation, according to a national study released last week by a local policy think tank.

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, along with the Bell Policy Center, said workers in the middle of the pay scale will see wage increases of up to 6.1 percent by becoming a member of a union. Those at the bottom of the economic scale could see wage improvements of up to 16.5 percent, according to the study.

“The data clearly shows the value of unions in our economy,” said Wade Buchanan, president of the Bell Policy Center. “Unions help low-income families achieve self-sufficiency, and they help middle-income families hold on to the American Dream.”

For workers at the bottom of the pay scale, union membership could translate to an additional $1.32 per hour, or about $2,745 annually, said Buchanan. Those in the middle pay range could see an additional $1.03 per hour, or about $2,412 per year, he said.

“Unions have proven to be a major gateway to opportunity for thousands of Colorado families, Buchanan said.

Choice important

Those backing a ballot initiative to make Colorado a right-to-work state said they understand unions can have economic benefits for typical blue-collar workers, but said Coloradans should have the right to choose if they want to join a union or not. Amendment 47 — viewed by many as an anti-union measure — seeks to prevent the mandatory payment of union dues as a condition of employment. The initiative has qualified for the November ballot.

“Amendment 47 does not in any way take away a workers’ right to join a union,” said Kelley Harp, spokesman for A Better Colorado, the organization spearheading the ballot initiative. “If an employee feels that a union has been beneficial … employees should feel free to join a union.”

A dozen union ballot measures have been suggested for the November ballot. The initiatives run the gamut, including one that would require all businesses with 10 or more employees to provide annual cost-of-living raises to their employees. Another initiative would require all companies with 20 or more employees to provide medical insurance.

Unions are also collecting signatures for initiatives that would allow employees to sue companies for claims beyond the state’s current workers compensation program. A separate initiative would allow Coloradans to sue chief executives if their company broke the law or was found liable in a civil suit.

Another initiative would make it illegal for employers to fire employees without “just cause.” Businesses would need to explain why the employee was fired.

A coalition of business executives is mobilizing to fight the initiatives. Coloradans for Responsible Reform says the “onslaught of ballot measures” will only scare businesses away from Colorado at a time when the state is trying to attract businesses to establish or move their headquarters’ here.

Hurting worker’s families?

But those in the pro-union camp say unions should be allowed to continue to operate as they currently do in Colorado. Buchanan said initiatives like that being pushed by A Better Colorado will directly hurt the state’s working families.

“Changing the rules by which unions operate in Colorado could have a real and detrimental impact on the livelihoods of working families in our state,” he said.

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