Union Support Rises
Support for labor unions is near a record high. But actual union membership has sunk to a record low.
According to a new Gallup survey, 70% of Americans approve of labor unions. That’s a rise of +3 percentage points since 2023 and +22 percentage points since 2009. It also marks the 8th consecutive year with support above 60%. That’s the longest streak since the 1960s.
By political party, Democrats recorded the largest rise in support (+6 pp). Republicans recorded a modest increase (+2 pp). And independents recorded a slight decline (-2 pp).
This rise in approval has not translated into a rise in membership. In 2023, the union membership rate was just 10% (public sector 33%; private sector 6%). That’s the lowest reading in the BLS's 40 years of tracking such data. And it marks a -10 percentage point decline since 1983.
The Gallup survey also found that 62% of Americans believe that the Democratic Party serves the interests of unions better than the Republican Party. But this belief may not help Democrats come November. Last week, after their president Sean O’Brien enjoyed a rare opportunity to keynote at the GOP convention, the Teamsters announced they would not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time since 1996. Internal polling showed that 59.6% of its members supported Trump, 34.0% Harris, and 6.4% other candidates.
