Labor union approval continues to ride a crest not seen in nearly 60 years according to the latest poll released by Gallup shortly before Labor Day 2024. Seven out of 10 Americans (70%) say they have a positive view of labor unions while the percentage who say they disapprove of unions is 23%, a 57-year low. The high is just five short of its all-time high (75%) set in 1957.

Unfortunately, the percentage of Americans who belong to labor unions is at an all-time low. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 10% of U.S. workers are union members, half the number (20%) from 1983, the first year the bureau reported comparable figures.

Even though labor union participation is low, organized labor is viewed favorably by Americans. When asked about confidence in organized labor as an institution in American society, labor still trends in a positive direction. Twenty-eight percent of respondents had a “great deal” or “quite a lot”  of confidence, up 9% from a low of 19% in 2009. 

“It is encouraging to see that a historically high number of Americans approve of Labor unions,” Minnesota State Building & Construction Trades President Dan McConnell said. “I believe this is a recognition of the fact that corporations have too much political influence and CEO pay is out of control in our country. Labor unions give workers the power needed to level the playing field in their relationship with their employers.”

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