Americans' Support for Labor Unions Continues to Recover
Source: AP
by Lydia Saad
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Americans' approval of labor unions has jumped five percentage points to 58% over the past year, and is now at its highest point since 2008, when 59% approved. In the interim, the image of organized labor had suffered, sinking to an all-time low of 48% in 2009.
Gallup first asked Americans about organized labor in 1936, a year after Congress legalized private-sector unions and collective bargaining. At that time, 72% of Americans approved of unions. Support remained high into the 1960s, but then dipped through the 1970s until it reached 55% in 1979. It has since varied, reaching as high as 66% in 1999 and as low as the 48% in 2009.
The latest results are from the 2015 installment of Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, conducted Aug. 5-9.
Consistent with the recent increase in approval of unions, the percentage of Americans saying they would like labor unions to have more influence in the country has also been rising, and now stands at 37%, up from 25% in 2009. Meanwhile, the percentage wanting unions to have less influence has declined from 42% to 35%, although it remains higher than it was from 1999 through 2008. Instead, fewer today say they want unions' influence to stay the same.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.gallup.com/poll/184622/americans-support-labor-unions-continues-recover.aspx
navarth
(5,927 posts)..and I hope you are having a wonderful day, my friend.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)meow2u3
(24,764 posts)I resent the pro-union folk who vote Republican because of so-called moral issues: abortion, LGBT opposition, guns, religion. What they don't realize is that corporate bosses are using these wedge issues to keep them from seeing that a vote for GOP is a vote to take away their rights at work to a decent wage, decent working conditions, and jobs with dignity instead of virtual slavery. In other words, they're being conned.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations".
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam409149.html
It would seem to me that those are precisely the sentiments that Trump and other republicans are playing up to rather than addressing labor and wage/benefit issues. They do a good job of keeping their base distracted from policies that would benefit themselves and the rest of the 99%.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)That the 1st and 2nd amendments are still intact, after all the years of scare tactics. When has a Democrat ever had on their platform, confiscating guns, and banning religion (the "war of Christmas" notwithstanding ).
Just the dumbest form of human.
appalachiablue
(41,147 posts)winterwar
(210 posts)You pay a huge chunk of your check every month for union dues, and the same Republican union guys refuse to pay because of the Republican enacted right to work laws. So you go to work and have to listen to these assholes talk their right wing shit. Even when they are outnumbered 10 to 1, they still stick to their shit. Usually justify it by banging the old Bible. And most of these assholes are ex military. They hate welfare, but they sure take Union benefits without paying. Isn't that welfare? But don't worry, unions are getting stronger and most of the people I deal with are politically active progressives. The truth shall prevail.
secondvariety
(1,245 posts)They're the worst. Where I work we're lucky to get 35% membership. That's Florida, though.
Hayduke Bomgarte
(1,965 posts)A) He knows the Dems will immediately come for his guns the minute they gain control of the White House and Congress. You know, like they've done every other time they held majority status.
B) His church and Rush O'Reilihannity all tell him to.
C) Only repukes will protect him from every imaginable bogeyman. Especially the ISIS Naval and Air Forces, who are this very minute camped just south of the US/Mexico border.
D) Only repukes will protect us from from all the catastrophes and disasters attendant to same sex marriage, that will befall us all.
E) Bill Clinton got a BJ in the Oval Office.
F) Benghazi.
There is no possibility of reasonable discussion with this cretin. Everyone that's tried, myself included, deeply regretted wasting the time trying.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)still be there long after these poor folks regret their own poor judgment?
Maybe their children will see what willful blindness leads to.
winterwar
(210 posts)It's a much smaller percentage than many people think. I'd love if we could kick out the right wingers represented by many unions. Unfortunately with the right to work laws, we have to represent these scabs with our hard earned cash and union dues, even when they skip out on paying. Most of the Republican union members are ex-military. They willfully vote against their own self interest. I can tell you that they are flying the gay pride flag in front of the plant my wife works at, and a large group of UAW members from MI went to NY to protest police brutality and the killing of Eric Garner. They marched in solidarity waving the UAW flag. It's just like any group, there are people who vote against their own self interests. Look at gay Republicans. But as a whole, of say at least 90% are die hard Democrats in the UAW. Probably around the same percentage in most unions.
GOLGO 13
(1,681 posts)I carefully explain all the wonderful ways unions have benefited this country. I call it "tickling their ears". Gotten good feedback.
winterwar
(210 posts)There is a lot of misinformation about unions and it gets repeated by people who have no idea what they are talking about. People need to hear the positive side of unionizing. It lifts workers up.
winterwar
(210 posts)Made my day better
riversedge
(70,245 posts)Kingofalldems
(38,460 posts)winterwar
(210 posts)Great point