UNION, YES? NO. NOT REALLY.
How is the country feeling about the merit shop? Based on a recent Gallup report: confused.
On the one safety-gloved hand, Gallup finds that 67% of Americans approve of labor unions—up from a historic low of 48% in 2009 and close to 1953’s historic high of 75%. In addition, a record-high 61% think unions help rather than hurt the U.S. economy.
However, in the same report, Gallup crunches data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to reveal that, as of 2022, only 10% of the U.S. workforce actually belongs to a union—a record low. And six in 10 U.S. workers tell Gallup they have no interest in joining one.
That tracks with a new analysis of union membership levels by state from ABC, which finds that at least 90% of the construction workforce in 29 states doesn’t belong to a union. For ABC, those numbers make the case for its campaign against mandatory project labor agreements on federal projects.
“Construction industry freedom and choice to affiliate with unions independent of government interference creates immense value for taxpayers and the construction industry,” says Ben Brubeck, ABC’s vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs, “which is why ABC will continue to challenge exclusionary policies and advocate for all construction workers to be welcome to build taxpayer-funded construction projects.”
