The city of Denver has seen union membership jump by 50 percent over the last year. Much of the increase has been attributed to the Teamsters who launched a massive organizing campaign of nonuniformed municipal employees in 2004. The increase could give the city's unions the leverage to put collective bargaining on Denver's ballot. Nonuniformed workers are also represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees as well as the Colorado Federation of Public Employees. The unions say that collective bargaining will give employees more say in their fate when it comes to benefits and pay. Critics say it will constrain the ability to the city to balance the budget by taking power away from policymakers.