Gallup’s annual pre-Labor Day poll on approval of unions is out, and unions hit their highest level since 1965. Sixty-eight percent of people told the pollster they approve of unions. In 1965, 71% said they approved.
The all-time high approval rating in the poll was 75%, coming in 1953 and 1957. The all-time low was 48% in 2009. While the Great Recession was understood as a reason for that 2009 low mark, the COVID-19 economy has obviously not had the same effect. That’s a fascinating shift. Also interesting: support among people aged 18 to 34 was 77%.
And yet union membership is much, much lower than public support—pointing directly to how difficult both employers and U.S. labor law make it to organize.
● AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler warned the senators protecting the filibuster that their obstruction would be a problem when they’re up for reelection.
● Workers at EveryAction have unionized and management has recognized their majority sign-up. With 240 workers signing cards, it’s now the largest progressive tech union in the U.S.
● Faculty at Michigan's Oakland University went on strike this week over issues including health care costs. University officials said Friday that negotiations were progressing, but the union said the remaining issues to be negotiated were significant ones.
● UNITE HERE is pushing back against hotel companies’ plans to cut housekeeping and other services to save on labor costs—at the cost of jobs.
●
●
The all-time high approval rating in the poll was 75%, coming in 1953 and 1957. The all-time low was 48% in 2009. While the Great Recession was understood as a reason for that 2009 low mark, the COVID-19 economy has obviously not had the same effect. That’s a fascinating shift. Also interesting: support among people aged 18 to 34 was 77%.
And yet union membership is much, much lower than public support—pointing directly to how difficult both employers and U.S. labor law make it to organize.
● AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler warned the senators protecting the filibuster that their obstruction would be a problem when they’re up for reelection.
● Workers at EveryAction have unionized and management has recognized their majority sign-up. With 240 workers signing cards, it’s now the largest progressive tech union in the U.S.
● Faculty at Michigan's Oakland University went on strike this week over issues including health care costs. University officials said Friday that negotiations were progressing, but the union said the remaining issues to be negotiated were significant ones.
● UNITE HERE is pushing back against hotel companies’ plans to cut housekeeping and other services to save on labor costs—at the cost of jobs.
●
●