Voters Strongly Support Unions and Oppose Companies’ Anti-Union Tactics
By Lew Blank and Zachary Hertz
Throughout 2022, the United States experienced a surge of organizing activity. The labor movement has been electrified by pushes from workers across the country to join together in unions, including employees for Starbucks, Amazon, and Apple.
In a June survey of 2,698 likely voters, Data for Progress tested how Americans are responding to this boom in organizing. We find that when voters cast their ballots in the November 2022 elections, they were more likely to vote for pro-worker candidates. We also find that voters strongly oppose companies’ anti-union tactics and support reforms to make it easier for workers to unionize.
In our survey, conducted prior to the midterm election, we asked voters whether they’d be more likely or less likely to vote for a candidate who supported unions. We find that 53 percent of voters preferred these candidates — including 74 percent of Democrats, a plurality (47 percent) of Independents, and more than a third of Republicans.
Next, we tested broad support for workers’ right to form a union. We asked voters whether they think the decision to join or form a union should be left exclusively to employees, or whether employers should be able to influence workers’ decisions. We find that 73 percent of voters — including strong majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — think the decision to unionize should be left exclusively to workers, and employers should remain neutral.
Voters Strongly Support Allowing Workers to Organize and Bargain Across Industries
Under current law, workers are expected to unionize workplace by workplace. Forming a union across an entire industry — which would allow workers to negotiate for industry-wide wages, benefits, and working conditions — is very difficult.
Voters think this should change. We find that 60 percent of voters — including 77 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of Independents, and a plurality (47 percent) of Republicans — support allowing workers to unionize across their industry.
Voters Across Party Lines Want Government Jobs to Meet Certain Standards
We also tested support for using our government’s spending power to encourage quality wages and working conditions. We asked voters whether they’d support requiring that any jobs that are financed by the local, state, or federal government meet certain standards: paying a living wage, providing good benefits and working conditions, and allowing workers to form a union.
We find that this proposal is highly popular. Fifty-seven percent of voters — including 64 percent of Democrats, 58 percent of Independents, and 50 percent of Republicans — support requiring that taxpayer funds only go to jobs that meet certain standards.
Voters Strongly Oppose Mandatory Anti-Union Meetings and Want Them Reformed
Finally, we find that voters across party lines do not want employers to interfere with unionization efforts by holding mandatory anti-union meetings. Sixty-nine percent of voters — including 75 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of Independents, and 66 percent of Republicans — say that workers should not be required to attend mandatory meetings where the company talks about its opposition to unionization.
We also tested voter support for two reforms that would limit employers’ ability to force workers to attend anti-union meetings.
First, we find overwhelming voter support for new legislation that would allow workers to opt out of anti-union meetings — including more than two-thirds of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
Next, we asked voters whether they would support giving pro-union and anti-union speakers an equal amount of time at these meetings. Currently, anti-union speakers are allowed to speak for the entire time. We find that this proposed reform is supported by 71 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of Independents, and 65 percent of Republicans.
Conclusion
Broadly, these findings show that as workers across the country organize to form unions, voters across party lines have their backs. Democrats, Independents, and Republicans oppose anti-union tactics like mandatory meetings, and support pro-union reforms, such as allowing workers to unionize across their industry and only providing taxpayer funds to jobs that meet certain standards. We also find that supporting workers and adopting pro-union stances is a strong electoral strategy that helped candidates win in the November 2022 midterms.
Lew Blank (@LewBlank) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Zachary Hertz (@zacharylhertz) is a Polling Analyst at Data for Progress.