About seven in 10 Americans say they approve of labor unions. This is just points away from the record-high approval rating for organized labor, according to a new Gallup poll.
The Gallup survey, reported The Hill newspaper, found that 70 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, while 23 percent disapprove and 7 percent have no opinion. This is just one point shy of the 71-percent reading in 2022, which marked the highest approval rating since 1965.
Despite this high approval rating, which was duly noted and applauded at the Echo's annual Labor Awards held in New York last week, only about eleven percent of American workers are union members. The Economic Policy Institute reported earlier this year that in 2023 16.2 million workers were represented by a union—an increase of 191,000.
At the same time, the percentage of workers represented by a union decreased from 11.3% to 11.2%, as unionization efforts were unable to keep pace with 2023’s strong job growth. By sector, private-sector unionization rose to 6.9% in 2023, while public-sector unionization declined to 36.0%.
Suffice it to say, it has never been easy for unions in America. Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, and according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the current trade union density (membership) in the Republic is around 22%, so twice that of the U.S.
As The Hill noted: "Gallup first began measuring the public’s approval of labor unions in 1936 and the highest support of 75 percent was observed in the 1950s.
Union approval has only dropped below 50 percent once, to 48 percent in 2009 following the Great Recession, the pollster said. "Approval of labor unions varies across party lines, with Democrats showing more support than Republicans, while independents fall in the middle of the two groups.
About 94 percent of Democrats approve of labor unions, up six points from last year. Meanwhile, 49 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of independents said the same, per Gallup.
"The poll was taken Aug. 1-20, almost entirely between the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, which both had labor union speakers."
It has to be at least encouraging to union members and organisers in the U.S. that so many Americans actually approve of unions. But between approval and union membership there is a significant gap. Hopefully it can be narrowed over time.
