a Recent Research Labor unions are widespread in the United States, but Americans are divided on how influential they are.
According to a YouGov survey, Released on FridayAccording to the survey, 59 percent of Americans have a “very” or “somewhat” positive view of labor unions. Conversely, 26 percent say they have a “somewhat” or “very” negative view of labor unions.
According to the pollsters, some people believe that unions “lead to more frequent strikes and higher costs for consumers,” while others praise their successes in “increasing workers' pay, giving them more power and job satisfaction.”
Labor unions, including the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO and the International Teamsters Brotherhood, have been in the spotlight in recent months as Vice President Harris and former President Trump have competed for union support ahead of the November election.
Asked about the level of influence trade unions have had over the “past year”, the survey found 26% said it had become “stronger” and 31% said it had “not changed much”.
The UAW and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have already endorsed Harris with just two months left in the election after President Biden stepped aside to run for vice president and lead the nomination process behind her.
The Teamsters have not yet announced whether they will endorse a candidate. Union President Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, stressing the importance of American workers but stressing that he was not endorsing the Republican Party.
The union also plans to host a roundtable with Harris later this month. The organization has previously hosted roundtables with Trump, Biden (who withdrew from the race), independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.
Speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, UAW President Sean Fain said the vice president would “stand shoulder to shoulder with workers when they are striking.”
A memo issued by the Harris campaign last month said union support would help Democrats win against Trump.
Polls show that Americans' attitudes toward labor unions vary by occupation.
The unions with the most favorable ratings were those representing firefighters (71%), nurses (68%) and construction workers (67%). The least favorable unions, according to the survey, were university professors, actors and government employees, each with just 30% approval.
The YouGov poll was conducted between August 22-24, with 1,130 respondents and a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
