Support for unions hits 70-year high

Despite corporate-backed efforts to erode union power in the United States for more than a century, U.S. public support for organized labor is higher than it's been in seven decades, according to a survey published ahead of Monday's Labor Day holiday.

The annual Gallup Labor Day poll revealed that 70% of Americans approve of labor unions, while 23% disapprove. That's up from last year's 67% approval rate. Two years ago, 71% of survey respondents said they were pro-union, but 26% disapproved, meaning this year's 47-point approval margin was slightly wider than in 2022.

The upswing in support for organized labor—which paradoxically comes even as U.S. union membership remains near an all-time low—has been attributed to a wave of successful organizing in recent years including the unionization of more than 480 Starbucks stores across the country.

"People know and understand that life is better in a union," said Lee Saunders, who is president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, in response to the survey. "They know it means a bigger paycheck, better healthcare coverage, a more secure retirement, a safer workplace, and a lot more."

"Strong unions mean more vibrant communities and a healthier democracy," Saunders added. "When you belong to a union, you have a voice. You're not under the boss' thumb. You have the power in numbers to make change on the job. And when unions thrive—when we can stand together to improve wages and working conditions—everyone benefits."

Recent organized labor wins are reflected in this year's survey finding that 34% of respondents believe that unions will become stronger than they are today—up from 19% last year.

"From cultural institutions to healthcare and childcare, working people across the country are showing the power they have in a union to negotiate better pay, to strengthen benefits and job security, to improve worker safety, and to invest in a strong retirement," Saunders said. "Americans know that unions give working people the freedom to get ahead."

"During this high-stakes election year, we need to seize this moment and ride this wave," Saunders asserted. "On one side, you have the architects of Project 2025, who want to stop our momentum in its tracks, who want to crush us, who are even proposing an outright ban of public service unions like AFSCME," he said, referring to the groups and individuals—including at least 140 members of former President Donald Trump's administration—who have been involved in the far-right plan to overhaul the federal government. Trump is the 2024 Republican nominee.

"On the other side," Saunders added, the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "want to strengthen our freedoms."

"Vice President Harris led the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to crack down on union-busting and expand protections for working people," the union leader noted with a nod to Walz's membership in Minnesota's teachers union.

Responding to the poll, the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement that "support for unions is soaring—and so is support for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz's fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to join a union."

"From educators to construction workers, healthcare professionals to public employees, and farmworkers to manufacturers, the already long list of unions representing workers across all sectors of the economy joining the Harris-Walz ticket is getting longer each week because the Harris-Walz ticket stands with working people," the statement continued.

"Workers across the country are energized and mobilized like never before because they trust Harris and Walz to not only fight for them, but to hold anti-worker scabs Donald Trump and JD Vance accountable for putting themselves and their union-busting buddies above workers' rights and American jobs," the campaign added.

The new poll came as Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump's running mate, was booed Thursday in Boston after telling attendees of the International Association of Fire Fighters convention that he's proud to be on "the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history."

While numerous unions have endorsed Harris, Trump has struggled in his efforts to court organized labor.

"We can't go backwards now," Saunders said. "We can't jeopardize the progress of recent years. We need to build on it. A labor movement with overwhelming public support is a powerful force."

"As we observe Labor Day, let's commit to using that power over the next two months to ensure victory for pro-worker candidates at all levels, up and down the ballot," he added.