Labor Day Poll: Labor unions are losing public support

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Summer's unofficial end has come to pass with the conslusion of the holiday weekend. Very much on the mind of Americans this Labor Day is the role that labor unions play in our economy, particularly during these struggling times. The public perception of unions according to two new polls has turned increasing sour over the past year.

With the national unemployment at nearly 9.7% and at its highest level since the early-80s labor unions are no doubt shouldering much of the criticism in the eyes of many Americans, particularly the millions of those out of work. Gallup and Rasmussen both released the results of some polling concluded just in time for the holiday.

In a sharp decline from recent years fewer than half of Americans (48%) now approve of the role labor unions play in our society. While 66% of Americans still consider unions beneficial to their own members, the 48% figure collected by Gallup marks a staggering drop of eleven percentage-points from a year ago and down from 65% in 2004. The struggling economy no doubt takes a toll on public perception. The last time Gallup indicated an approval rating for labor unions anywhere near 50% was in 1979 and ’81 when the total dropped to 55% in the midst of another economic downturn.

Gallup has been tracking public opinion on labor unions since around the time of the National Labor Relations Act passed in 1936. The following year the poll found that 72% of citizens approved of the role of labor unions. That number ballooned to an all-time high from 1954-57 when three quarters of the American public had a positive view of union labor. Starting in the late-60s the number of those approving began to shrink, this in conjunction with a slowing economy and stronger Republican influence on politics from the end of the 60s through the early-90s. With the economy soaring in the late-90s however approval spiked again to 66%.

A substantial number of Americans blame labor unions for the struggling auto industry according to Gallup. Those not in favor of the industry bailouts had their negative views exacerbated, and a growing number of Americans see labor unions hurting the companies they are employed with. In terms of their impact on the overall U.S. economy a record high 51% think labor unions are hurting the situation against 39% who think they are mostly helping.

Numbers such as these are reflected in latest Rasmussen survey on the topic. With just 13% considering Labor Day to be one of America’s most important holidays the total of those who feel labor unions make our country weaker is at 45%. Only 26% suggest that unions have made our country stronger with nearly half of poll responders (48%) of the opinion that these unions have outlasted their usefulness. The perceptions Americans have of their fellow workers are also increasingly negative. 36% say Americans do not work as hard as people in other countries against just 30% who think we work harder.

A plurality of Americans (49%) still favor the existence of labor unions but the gap is noticeable between genders and political party affiliation. Rasmussen contends that 58% of men against just 33% of women have negative views toward union labor, considering it to have made our country weaker. Not surprisingly given their longtime affiliation with labor unions Democrats have a largely positive view (64%) with six in ten Republicans viewing unions unfavorably.

While not as staggering a drop as indicated by the accompanying Gallup poll Rasmussen figures show a six-percent decline in union favorability from a year ago.