Six in ten working adults say the large reduction in percentage of workers represented by unions over the past several decades has been bad for working people.
31 August 2022
As Labor Day approaches, a majority of Americans continue to say labor unions have a positive effect on the way things are going in the United States according to a research put out by the Pew Center. However, labor union membership is near an all time low. In 2020, 10.8% of wage and salary workers ages 16 and older belonged to a labor union, down from 13.4% in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In another poll done earlier this year, a majority of Americans view the decreasing percentage of workers represented by a union as an overall negative for the country as whole. This implies that working class individuals on both sides of the aisle are concerned that not having a say in workforce dynamics are driving us further apart as a country and further from living a stable, balanced lifestyle.
Wealthy GOP members more opposed to unions at greater rates than ever before
In the Pew study conducted earlier this year, upper-income Republicans (66%) are more likely than those in the middle- (54%) and lower-income (44%) tiers who responded that the decline in union membership was good for working people (Pew, 2022). This doesn't necessarily come as a surprise as spending on uni
on busting activity is at an all time high as income gaps have followed suit. The gap in income within the GOP is also greater than it ever has been, indicating that we may be moving beyond political party to find common ground in union opinion. In Montana, as the pandemic began to spread, workers on both sides of the political spectrum joined together to fight Delaware North, a corporation from New York who engaged in unfair labor practices.
Long and Short of it: Lower income right leaning and left leaning are finding common ground according to recent polls
On the income spectrum, it is clear that those on both sides of the political aisle are starting to realize that remaining segregated is a recipe for exploitation by law firms specializing in union busting. In Montana, this usually means wealthy out of state handlers bring the most punch to the game. The question now is, how low will working class buying power fall at the expense of greater political segregation before working individuals realize that "going it alone" is no match for the high powered elite of the US? Hopefully we all find common ground in creating a stable, healthier community.
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