A new Gallup annual Work and Education survey found that Americans’ approval of labor unions is at its highest in nearly 60 years.
Seventy-one per cent of US residents approve of unions, as high as in 1965. The 1950s saw the highest support for unions, at three in four Americans, according to the polling firm.
Labor unions’ approval rate has been steadily climbing in recent years, from 64% before the pandemic to last year, when it was at 68%.
The survey also found about one in six Americans live in a household where at least one resident belongs to a union.
Of the union members surveyed, 65% cited better pay and benefits as the top reason for joining a union. The second-most-chosen reason was employee rights and representation.
The news comes after a wave of successful union organizing efforts in industries across the country, such as food service, education, transportation, tech, media and others. Corporations such as Amazon, Starbucks and Chipotle are seeing their workers form unions despite efforts to prevent such organizing.
Among non-union members interviewed by Gallup, 58% said they had no interest in joining at all, while 11% said they were extremely interested. The survey also found that while engagement at work was higher among non-union members, they were more likely to be actively looking for a new job than union members.
The survey concluded: “The low unemployment rate that developed during the pandemic altered the balance of power between employers and employees, creating an environment fostering union membership that has resulted in the formation of unions at several high-profile companies. While already on an upswing, public approval of unions has only increased further during the pandemic and is now at a level not seen in nearly six decades.”
