Public support for labor unions reached its lowest point since 1987 and an increasing number of people think unions have become “too powerful,” according to a May 21 survey by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
The percentage of people who agree that “labor unions are necessary to protect the working person,” dropped from 70 percent over the past 10 years to 61 percent in 2009. Sixty-one percent of the public also agrees that labor unions are too powerful, up from 52 percent 10 years ago. In addition, 76 percent of those surveyed agree that “the strength of this country today is mostly based on the success of American business.”
“This survey is just another indication that the Employee Free Choice Act, or card check bill, would be bad for employees, employers and the customers purchasing the goods or services,” said 2009 ABC National Chairman Jerry Gorski, president of Gorski Engineering, Inc., Collegeville, Pa. “Under card check, workers could end up in a union they didn’t have an opportunity to vote for, and forced to abide by a contract they didn’t vote on, giving even more power to labor unions that the majority of Americans agree have already become too powerful.”
Pew Research Center has conducted 14 major surveys to monitor political values since 1987. To view the complete survey, click
here.