Gallop: U.S. Approval of Labor Unions Remains Near Record Low

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/142007/Americans-Approval-Labor-Unions-Remains-Near-Record-Low.aspx

August 12, 2010

More Americans want unions to have less influence than more
by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- A slim majority of 52% of Americans say they approve of labor unions, the second lowest approval rating in Gallup's 70-year history of this trend, behind only last year's 48%.



The update of one of Gallup's longest standing trend questions is based on results of Gallup's annual Work and Education poll, conducted Aug. 5-8.

Gallup first asked Americans to evaluate labor unions in 1936, at which time 72% approved. The all-time high of 75% approval came in 1953 and 1957 surveys. Support for unions declined in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but mostly hovered around the 60% mark until last year, when it dropped below the majority level for the first time.

In the poll, 10% of Americans identify themselves as union members, and an additional 6% say another member of their household belongs to a union. Seventy-two percent of Americans who are union members or live in a union household approve of unions, compared with 48% of those in non-union households.

Union approval varies widely by political party affiliation -- it is 71% among Democrats compared with 34% of Republicans and 49% among independents. All three party groups expressed their lowest approval of unions last year and, although views improved slightly, they remain less positive than before.



FULL story at link.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

1. GOP and corprat-owned propaganda machinery: Mission Accomplished

That's what this is. The result they've been hoping for.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Absolutely.

Just another divide-and-conquer tactic. They keep us who are near the bottom of the pyramid busy fighting each other, and nobody looks upward to find the source of their misery.

[City Lights]

11. Exactly.

I'm so sick of hearing friends/relatives complain about how much this union worker makes, or how much that union worker makes, while giving a pass to upper management of Corporate 'Murika.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Notice though it actually ticked UP

[marmar]

3. I was just about to post that.....

Now that people have been drubbed and routed by corporate America, perhaps it's finally beginning to sink in.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. It would help if my hubby's union local president did his job

long story... but he is one reason for the down trend.

That and heavy doses of propaganda... the latter is far more responsible, but...

[TheKentuckian]

4. What kind of pissboys don't approve of collective bargaining? This is a ship of fools.

"Rugged individualists" kneeling down to lick a rich man's asshole.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Republican syllogistic logic:

I don't have benefits/decent wages/job security/etc.
Therefore nobody should have it.

I have no idea what keeps them so adamantly locked into that stance instead of

Joe has benefits/decent wages/job security/etc.
Therefore I should have them too.

[NNN0LHI]

18. You got it brother

Suck asses every one of them.

Don

[FarCenter]

8. Unions = state & local govt employees = higher taxes

Over half of all union employees work for the government, so they are portrayed as raising taxes.

[spooky3]

12. do you have a link for that, that is not Heritage Foundation?

That was the only source that I could find quickly, but you may have a better source. It's a right wing site. I notice that they count the Postal Service as govt. employees even though they are quasi-private. Thanks.

[FarCenter]

14. US Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t03.htm shows union membership by industry.

Private sector union membership in 2009 was 7,431 thousand, and public sector union membership was 7,896 thousand.

Only 7.2% of private sector employees were union members, while 37.4% of public sector employees were.

[Enthusiast]

20. That is why public sector jobs

are generally more desirable.

[spooky3]

22. Thanks.

[mopinko]

9. i sat through a tea bagger's town hall yesterday. the scariest

moment of the evening, and there were a few, was when the subject of education came up and the teacher's unions were mentioned. they started looking around for things that could be used as weapons, i swear. they just erupted in hisses and groans, after being mostly silent the whole while. (unlike how they behave at OUR town halls!)
really, it was just frightening. the teacher's union got an uglier reaction than illegal immigrants.
brainwashing. they are just brainwashing these poor saps. like pavlov's dogs.

[Enthusiast]

21. You are so right.

Their reaction is scary. Republicans would outlaw union organizing if they could.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. you would think people would support Labor unions

[Omaha Steve]

13. Kick

[olegramps]

15. This only tells me the stupid ass Republican working class is still drinking the management cool-aid...

I really feel sorry for faithful Democratic union workers when their pay is cut, but a I don't have one tear to shed for the Republican union busters.

[Raineyb]

16. When even Democrats are going after union members what do you expect? n/t

[JHB]

17. Amazing how "near record low" is still above 50%...

...and has always exceeded "dissaprove".

Not the sort of thing you'd see pointed out by any "mainstream" news source. (Not that this article points it out either.)

[Enthusiast]

19. Of course.

Decades of union bashing on the media have taken a toll. Propaganda does have results. This is why basic media fairness must be a priority for Democrats and all supporters of organized labor.