Widespread strikes and contract negotiations brought unions to the forefront of the news this summer, coining the term “summer of strikes.” As Labor Day approaches, strike activity remains steady and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
How does the public feel about labor unions and hot strike summer? More than two-thirds of Americans support unions, according to a recent poll from The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO). That number is even higher for people younger than 30, 88% percent saying they support labor unions.
Key findings
Labor union support transcends party lines: About 91% of Democrats, 69% of independents and 52% of Republicans approve of unions, according to the poll.
Americans support better wages and benefits for workers: Three-fourths of Americans support “workers going on strike to negotiate for better wages, benefits, and working conditions” with nearly half saying they strongly support doing so.
Young people support the labor movement: Voters under 30 show wide support for labor unions. 88% percent approve of unions and 90% say they support strikes.
Unions are seen as highly desirable and half of Americans believe having more workers in unions would be beneficial for society: About half of voters say society would be better off with a union compared to just a third (34%) saying it would not be better off.
Voters say unions have a positive impact on workers and on the economy: Over three-quarters believe unions have a positive effect on safety, pay, hours, job security, and benefits for workers.
Unions believed to make problems in the workplace better: Two-thirds of respondents reported experiencing problems in the workplace, with nearly all saying a union would have made the situation better. They reported experiencing a problem within at least one of the following topics: Salary or pay, healthcare or retirement benefits, hours or schedule, workplace culture, workplace safety, or discrimination or sexual harassment. Women and Black voters reported being particularly likely to experience discrimination or sexual harassment in the workplace, according to the poll.
Workers identify artificial intelligence as an emerging concern: Seven-in-ten reported being concerned about AI displacing workers. Voters believe unions can help on this front to protect jobs from being replaced by AI.
How was the data collected?
GBAO, a public opinion research firm, surveyed 1,200 registered voters for the AFL-CIO. Demographics were weighted and balanced to match the estimated voter registration population. Young voters, AAPI voters and union members were oversampled.
The polling firm reported a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points and a 95% confidence level.
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Is this the summer of strikes?
About 650,000 workers were expected to go on strike in the U.S. this summer, including a whopping 340,000 UPS workers. Their union — the Teamsters — reached a deal before their expected strike on Aug. 1, averting what could have been one of the largest strikes in U.S. history.
Are strikes peaking in 2023?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the number of workers involved in stoppages of 1,000 or more employees.
In 2022, 120,600 people were involved in a strike of 1,000 people or more. It’s unclear if this year’s strike activity will top 2018 or 2019 numbers.
While strikes are rising, the percentage of national workers represented by a union has been declining for over a decade. About 10.1% of all workers are in a union as of 2022, the most recent data available from the BLS.
