LOUISVILLE, Colo. — For many Coloradans, the Labor Day holiday is a time to celebrate workers and renew the fight for workers’ rights.
Labor unions, which are seeing a surge in popularity, are playing a central role in efforts to improve wages and healthcare benefits for workers in Colorado and across the nation.
On Monday, large crowds lined Main Street in downtown Louisville as marching bands, politicians, and floats made their way through. The annual Louisville Labor Day Parade provides community members a chance to celebrate American workers and the unions that have supported them along the way.
“Labor Day is a holiday because unions fought for it,” said Silas Atkins with the Boulder Valley Paraeducators Association.
Atkins believes unions are needed now more than ever.
“Costs are going up. Wages are staying stagnant,” said Atkins.
Union membership peaked in the 1950s and has been declining for decades. In 1983, about 20% of American workers belonged to a union, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Today, just 10% of American workers belong to a union. In Colorado, less than 7% of workers belong to a union.
After the parade in Louisville on Monday, members from several unions gathered for a picnic to reflect on their progress and the work still ahead.
“It's all about working families. Corporations have all the money,” said Sandra Parker Murray with Communication Workers of America. “Workers need protections. They need livable wages. They need health care. They need to be able to afford a house [or] if they want to send their children to college.”
Though membership numbers aren’t high, unions are more popular than they’ve been in decades. Recent Gallup surveys show about 70% of Americans have a favorable view of unions. Favorability ratings for unions haven’t been that high since the mid-1960s, according to Gallup.
In terms of popularity, the lowest point for unions came in 2009 during the height of the Great Recession, when only about 48% of Americans held a favorable view of unions.
Union members have traditionally supported Democratic candidates in elections, as evident by the politicians marching in the parade on Monday, which included Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Some Republicans, most notably former President Donald Trump, have made efforts to reach out to unions. In July, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien accepted an invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention. But union members Denver7 spoke to said they don’t believe the outreach is genuine.
“It’s all a political game for them,” said Atkins.
Parker Murray said Trump probably does have the support of some union members, but she doesn’t believe most members would ever support him.
“We know that we have to watch his actions and not listen to what he says,” said Parker Murray, noting that Trump gave tax breaks to corporations during his first term.
As for the rise in popularity, union members are hopeful it will lead to better pay and benefits for workers.
“We're growing and we're continuing to build,” said Parker Murray. “And we won't stop.”
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