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Home Front: Politix

On Labor Day, support for unions plunges to all-time low

2009-09-08

This Labor Day brings word of a new Gallup poll showing that American public support for labor unions has taken a sharp dive in the last year and is at its lowest point since Gallup began polling in 1936.

In response to the question, "Do you approve or disapprove of labor unions?" just 48 percent of respondents said they approve, while 45 percent said they disapprove. That's a steep fall from August 2008, when the numbers were 59 percent approve, 31 percent disapprove, and it's the first time approval of unions has ever fallen below 50 percent.

And we've seen the SEUI thugs beat up a black man in a wheelchair, just because he had a few questions for their man.

Before this year, American support for unions had remained remarkably stable for nearly four decades. In August 2001, in the first months of George W. Bush's presidency, Gallup's results for the same question were 60 percent approve, 32 percent disapprove. In August 1997, in Bill Clinton's second term, they were 60-31. In 1985, during Ronald Reagan's presidency, the figures were 58-27. In 1978, during Jimmy Carter's time in the White House, they were 59-31. And in 1972, during Richard Nixon's, they were 60-27.

The new poll also shows that many Americans believe the future is bleak for unions. In response to the question, "Thinking about the future, do you think labor unions in this country will become stronger than they are today, the same as today, or weaker than they are today?" 48 percent said unions will become weaker, versus just 24 percent who said unions will become stronger.

Broken down by political party, Gallup found support for unions has fallen the most among critically-important independent voters. Last year, 63 percent of independents said they approved of unions. Now, just 44 percent say the same thing. Among Republicans, 29 percent support unions, versus 38 percent last year. Only among Democrats does union support remain strong, although it, too, has fallen: 66 percent support today, versus 72 percent support a year ago.

The numbers do not bode well for Democrats' desire to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, or card-check, which would eliminate the right to a secret ballot in union elections, or even a weaker version of the bill, which would provide for mandatory arbitration in unionization battles. This Labor Day, for organized labor, the news is very bad.

Posted by:Fred

#8 Why do there need to be unions in the government sector? Government is not a sector prone to management excesses and there are certainly enough avenues to redress grievances should such excesses occur. Government unions are nothing but shake-down artists and the person being shaken is the tax payer.

Posted by: remoteman 2009-09-08 23:37

#7 Unions are a 19th century solution to a 19th century problem.

Posted by: Iblis 2009-09-08 12:32

#6 Unions serve a purpose - they provide a defense against management excesses. And without organized labor you can be sure there will be management 'excesses.'
However, it seems labors own union management rapidly evolves to exhibit its own 'management excesses' to the detriment of the workers themselves. And it is union management (and not labor) which is responsible for donating to various political entities and thus is the actual beneficiary of most labor legislation.
The best situation for the workers seems to be the 'threat' of unionization, without actually unionizing.

Posted by: Glenmore 2009-09-08 09:49

#5 A hundred years ago, the unions did heroic and valuable work, calling attention to appalling working conditions, child labor, and other horrors. At the same time, there were crooks and political activists using the unions for their own purposes.

With laws in place to protect workers, the unions became all about power and politics. Also, some organizations, having won their battles, don't know how to say, "We've reached our goals, now we can go home." Instead, they use the same rhetoric to justify all sorts of lesser goals. Like Jesse Jackson.

The comments from the original article note that the union activists attacking people at town hall and tea party meetings probably has a lot to do with the latest decline in people's view of unions.

Posted by: mom 2009-09-08 09:38

#4 There was a time we needed unions. Now they are just political thugs that steal from their members.

Posted by: newc 2009-09-08 09:33

#3 I do think Orwell could be given lessons on Newspeak from today's American left.

Posted by: ed 2009-09-08 06:54

#2 If you can't beat them, buy them.

Posted by: no mo uro 2009-09-08 06:52

#1 Amazingly undemocratic organization especially in light of the last lines of the article.

Has anyone ever considered RFK when as chief counsel of the 195759 Senate Labor Rackets Committee having taken on the organization in late 50's received a payback from the organization in 1968

Posted by: Gleans Sproing2705 2009-09-08 05:24

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