Pew found that most U.S. adults, especially Democrats, see the trend as bad for working people.
THOR BENSON for
Common Dreams
Pew found 54% of U.S. adults say the
decline has been bad for the country, and 59% say it has been bad for working
people. The center found 69% of Democrats think the decline has been bad for
the country, and 40% of Republicans felt that way.
"A majority of conservative
Republicans (60%) say the decline in organized labor membership has been at
least somewhat good for working people, including 24% who say this has been
very good," the report states.
"Across ideological groups, large
majorities of Democrats say the decline in the percentage of workers
represented by unions has been bad for working people. But
liberal Democrats (85%) are more likely than conservative and moderate
Democrats (66%) to say this."
Union membership dropped to a record low last
year—partially thanks to some red states limiting or banning the unionization
of government workers. While recent reporting has tracked many stories of
people fighting to unionize, only 10% of American adults belong to a union.
Unions have been shown to help reduce income inequality, they help raise the wages of nonunion members, and they can even improve life outside the workplace.
President Joe Biden and Republican
presidential nominee Donald Trump have both been vying for
the support of union workers to some degree, but Trump hasn't been received
quite as welcomely as Biden.
"Donald Trump is a scab," United
Auto Workers president Shawn Fain said in January when the union endorsed
Biden. "Donald Trump is a billionaire, and that's who he represents. If
Donald Trump ever worked in an auto plant, he wouldn't be a UAW member. He'd be
a company man."
Polls have consistently shown in recent
years that Americans support labor unions, so running as a supporter of unions
could benefit a presidential nominee. Some Republicans, though, have urged Trump to
stay as far away from unions as possible.