Labor Unions, Advantages Understood, Still Near Record-Low Approval

The vast majority of Americans say labor unions raise wages and better working conditions, a new survey finds. Yet despite those benefits, Americans have almost never disliked them more.

Indeed, according to a Harris Interactive poll, more than seven in ten of those surveyed said labor unions are too politically-oriented and concerned "with fighting changes" as opposed to "bring[ing] about change." Still, over six in ten say labor unions also provide workers with better conditions and pay.

A Gallup poll also released Wednesday finds, more directly, that approval of labor unions has held at 52 percent, just above its lowest-recorded level going back to the Great Depression. Still, at 52 percent, the majority of Americans continue to support labor unions. The lowest recorded approval of labor unions was 48 percent in 2009, Gallup says.

Labor unions have become particularly politically polarizing in the last decade. While Democratic support of unions has held relatively steady since 1999 -- 78 percent of Democrats say they support labor unions -- the percent of Republicans supporting unions has plummeted to 26 percent from 51 percent, according to Gallup.

That diminishing approval can be in part explained by the 59 percent of those surveyed by Harris Interactive that say they disagree with the idea that unions help pass laws that help all workers, not just unions. Union members disagree, but not by much. Among union workers, 55 percent say unions pass legislation to help all workers, Harris Interactive says.

Between 1973 and 2007, union membership has dropped to 8 percent from 32 percent among men, according to The New York Times. A recent study found that decline in union participation accounted for roughly one-third of the increasing gaps in pay between the rich and poor.

In a weak economy, labor unions have been close scrutinized, especially in government. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker earlier this year proposed a bill to limit labor unions' right to collective bargaining in the name of cutting government spending. Within the Union Auto Workers, disputes between union management and the rank-and-file has caused deepening rifts, as The Huffington Post reported in August.

Even larger unions are seeing their power tested. A recent strike by over 45,000 Verizon workers over pensions led by unions Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has been largely ineffective. Employees have returned to work after the two-week long strike, and as negotiations continue it's said that Verizon will likely win out on several key disputed issues.

Comments

[stvvon]

04:56 PM on 09/26/2011

Most union members (UM)AKA Middle class, think their dues averaging $600 per year, with unions taking in some $17 billion each year is providing better representation at the bargaining table. But most unions spend substantially more of the UM' money on politics and non-contract-related activities than they do on (U.M.) issues. UM have no say how their money is spent or that their dues are being given to liberal causes that they would never support from abortion rights to opposition to the war in Iraq. Liberal driven media virtually ignores the corrupt relationship between unions and the Democratic party. Unions illegally fund Democratic candidates' efforts by putting union-paid staff into their campaigns, unions do this all the time
Today's Union isnt the labor movement of hard hats and assembly line workers. Almost half of UM work for some level of government. Barely 8%of workers in the private sector belong to unions. The labor movement used to be strongly pro-American, pro-defense, and very conservative on social issues. Today's union bosses have more in common with Michael Moore than George Meany. The so-called watchdog groups, seem far more interested in corporate misdeeds than anything labor unions might be doing. the old radical saying: "no enemies on the Left."

[Blackorpheus]

06:35 PM on 09/06/2011

Why so many American working people identify with their executioners rather than with unions which will support them has mostly to do with the lies and blandishments of capitalism and its mass-media satellites.

[Benny Fernandez]

11:17 AM on 09/03/2011

Actually, they never returned any of my calls to find out what had happened.

[headstrong]

03:10 PM on 09/02/2011

What a pathetic comment on the working class. They are committing suicide.

[seanny53]

01:58 PM on 09/02/2011

The propaganda is working.

[moutonnoir]

04:06 PM on 09/02/2011

clearly the forces of corporate hegemony are more sophisticated in their use of modern communications methods than the people are.

[rae112754]

02:24 AM on 09/02/2011

Union demands have cost union workers their jobs.

[moutonnoir]

04:06 PM on 09/02/2011

wrong. union demands have cost companies complete dominance over us.

[rae112754]

04:29 PM on 09/02/2011

Thats why companies have given up dealing with unions and have built there factorys and manufacturing plants outside of the US where there are no unions to deal with. Costing the US thousands of jobs everytime time they do that.

[agathacallie]

01:52 AM on 09/02/2011

Huffpost new style corporate moderators chose to censor this post yesterday, will it meet a similar fate today?? "..more than seven in ten of those surveyed said labor unions are too politically-oriented and concerned "with fighting changes" as opposed to "bring[ing] about change." Still, over six in ten say labor unions also provide workers with better conditions and pay."... This is a clear indication of the newest version of the old "divide and conquer" technique - now operational inside the minds of the general public. Cognitive dissonance reigns, effectively blocking any motivation to unify against further colonization.

[seanny53]

01:59 PM on 09/02/2011

I don't know how or why you would get censored for that. Bizarre.

[GoldenGateCA]

01:44 AM on 09/02/2011

There was a pattern in the past of unions demanding things like 40 hour work weeks, overtime, etc and then the gov passing similar laws. I think unions have a place, but what if there were more restrictions on what could be in a union contract? For example, union government employees should be on Social Security like everyone else. There should be a standard process for documenting bad employees and getting rid of them. Performance and not seniority should be the basis for raises or promotions. The only gov workers with early pensions should be military, law enforcement, and emergency services. Desk workers don't deserve a pension after 20 years.

[pmoschetta]

09:10 AM on 09/02/2011

And the members of Congress and the Senate shouldn't have government paid pensions at all

[srooge]

07:45 PM on 09/01/2011

youwillnevverhurtcorporationsagainunlessunionsgetbillofrightsofworkersratifiedbytheusgovernment

[quicks9]

07:23 PM on 09/01/2011

looking for a job, must make at least 80,000.00, union or non-union I don't care,start @ 11.00 am with 2 hr lunch and clock out at 1.30pm. travel allowance a must with 2 weeks paid sick days and 4 weeks vacation. 100% insurance a must.

now is this asking for too much

[suzimissq]

07:34 PM on 09/01/2011

Yeah You got to be an exec to get that

[moutonnoir]

04:08 PM on 09/02/2011

not if you are looking for job as governor

[ranspears]

07:10 PM on 09/01/2011

Of course the republicans are against unions. That's because the republicans don't give a damn about working class people. They only care about their rich friends and the fools that they con into voting for them.

[alycemd]

08:51 PM on 09/01/2011

I agree with your assessment of Republicans. But Bobby Kennedy hated the Teamsters, and Jimmy Hoffa, possibly to the death.

[pmoschetta]

10:29 AM on 09/02/2011

Rather than the GOTP focusing on the corporation greed which has contributed to our unemployment they blame the unions and the middle class' rights in the working place. Its yet another diversion tactic to take our focus away from what greed has done to our country

[seanny53]

02:03 PM on 09/02/2011

Jimmy Hoffa was dirty and the Teamsters seldom did anything other than collect dues from non-truck drivers. I'm a huge supporter of unions, but the Teamsters were terrible in Jimmy Hoffa's later years. And they weren't democratic, as all unions should be.

[pmoschetta]

09:12 AM on 09/02/2011

Unions stand for workers rights, and the republicans are against anything that takes profits out of the hands of the corporations. Their view is that the less people earn, the higher the profits for corporations.
Yet their unintelligent voters support this nonsense, until they too become the statistic for profits

[sbrunnercorydon]

06:55 PM on 09/01/2011

WAKE UP AMERICIANS!!! Coming together as one voice is the only way you can have any chance to negotiate with huge corporations, or even very large companies!! Without unions it is just "YOU" standing alone against them!!! They will single you out, call you into the office and there you stand, alone , and at their mercy!!! You either do what they say,and work for whatever wage they want to pay you, and with or without benefits, NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU HAVE WORKED FOR THEM or you go home and NEVER come back!!! I am retired now, but I have lived through this situation!!! It wasn' pleasant experience, but I learned a Very, Very, Very valuable lesson!!! Unions are far from perfect, but they are the ONLY tool that middle income Americians have to maintain some kind of job security!!! GO UNIONS!!!!!

[f777982]

06:46 PM on 09/01/2011

Which laws? Overtime? You get around that by calling the worker exempt. Safety? besides the fact that safety is often look at after the death or injury occurs, funding has been cut for enforcement, fines do not reflect the damage that has been caused making lack of safety cheaper than being safe. Hours worked, liability,benefits competncy? hire a worker as a 1099, independent contractor by leaving a little wiggle room in the starting time, end of workday or how instructions are relayed to the worker. You really have to stop watching On The water Front, it may have been a good movie, but its almost 60 years old and wasa work of fiction. Try watching Norma Rae.

[sbrunnercorydon]

07:05 PM on 09/01/2011

When federal and state laws are violated by a company, it takes years(usually 3 or 4), and more money for attorneys, filing fees,etc. than the average worker has. In the mean time no one will hire that person because they have pending charges against their employer!! I know from experience,I have gone through the process!!! Unions are not perfect, but they are still the best thing going for middle income americians!!!

[f777982]

06:34 PM on 09/01/2011

You do have to wonder about, not only the inteligence but the overall knowledge of those saying unions are too political. Are they to be mandated to remain silent while business, investors, conservatives and maybe even foreign countries, speak out and to our elected officials having these officials to only hear one side? or maybe the individual worker can be forced to pay all cost of lobbying for his/her own working conditions by their self, while management/corporations can pool their money. Sounds to me that for the anti union crowd that a fair fight is one where the other side has their hands tied.

[pmoschetta]

09:13 AM on 09/02/2011

Unions are political to the right, but unfair labor practices they support

[joynerz]

06:23 PM on 09/01/2011

The "dislike" is envy. Happens every time there's a recession.