Pew Research: Unions Really Unpopular...

A recent Pew research poll shows that unions are at an all time low in popularity. This tracks a similar poll from the Gallup organization last year. Today only 41% of individuals have a favorable view of unions, compared to 2007 when 58% had a favorable view. Every demographic that took the survey – including union members – had a worse opinion of unions. Somehow unions have taken what should have been the best time ever to get their agenda enacted and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Think about all the issues unions ended up on the wrong side of in the last year or two. They managed to get a lot of the blame for the implosion of the US auto industry during the UAW/government motors debacle. Even their recent attack on Toyota appears to have backfired. Unions ended up looking like the selfish insiders they so loudly criticized during the health care debate, getting tax breaks for “Cadillac” health plans at the expense of normal taxpayers. Ties to ACORN have really hurt the SEIU in the eyes of the general public. The very public divorce of UNITE-HERE and United Healthcare Workers (both caused in part by the SEIU – noticing any patterns here?) also gave the union movement a black eye. Finally, unions did a terrible job articulating the case for EFCA (perhaps because there is no valid case for it, but I digress).

As I’ve said before, the union movement is far from dead. But it ain’t feeling that great.