In his third week in office, Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds learned his aides were unionizing.

“I think it’s great,” said the new councilman. “I think it’s in line with my values.”

Hinds’ staff of three recently signed union cards to join Teamsters Local 17. City Clerk Paul López also has committed to allow his staff members to join a union, if they choose, “free from retaliation or intimidation.” It’s a small victory in the Teamsters’ years-long quest to grow their local government ranks and win collective bargaining rights.

The city’s thousands of firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies already have large unions that negotiate their pay, along with other benefits and protections. But the rest of the city’s employees — from parks to administrative workers — have been slower to band together. Because they don’t have collective bargaining rights, their union representatives have far less power.

“People think (unions) are more for folks like my dad, who’s an electrician, than they are for someone who works in an office like myself, and I think that everyone deserves those kinds of protections,” said Teresa St. Peter, a new member of Hinds’ staff who already has worked 16 years for other Denver council members.

Teamsters 17 counts about 650 dues-paying city employees out of 11,000-plus city employees in total. Hinds staffer Liz Zukowski said that the councilman enjoyed strong support from labor groups, and that this was a way to “stand in solidarity and walk the walk.”

“We’re going to go above what the city protections are for our wages, our sexual harassment, our safety and security,” said Galia Halpern, who left a job as a medieval historian to join the city staff.

Local 17 president Ed Bagwell said the union wants to see collective bargaining allowed for more city employees. That would require a voter-approved change to the charters. Earlier efforts failed in 1980 and 1997, but Bagwell argues there’s growing support from elected leaders like Hinds.

“This is the first step,” Bagwell said. “It’s going to be around the sexual harassment, intimidation, paying people fairly for what they do for a living.”

Colorado Democrats unsuccessfully tried to allow collective bargaining for state employees this year.