The majority of Americans express support for increased pay for auto workers currently engaged in a strike. Against Detroit’s major three car manufacturers. However, approval for the other demands made by these workers appears to be more mixed, as indicated by a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll reveals that 36% of Americans express sympathy for the auto workers in their disagreement with the automakers, while 9% support the automakers. The remaining respondents either support both parties or neither.
It’s worth noting that the support for auto workers falls short of the 55% support observed for striking Hollywood writers. And actors in a previous AP-NORC poll conducted last month. Nevertheless, this recent poll contributes to the mounting evidence of U.S. support for labor unions. Particularly in a year marked by labor strikes in Hollywood, narrowly averted walkouts by Teamsters at United Parcel Service, and ongoing picket lines outside automobile manufacturing plants.
The latest AP-NORC survey reveals that 51% of respondents believe that labor unions are beneficial for U.S. workers. While only 15% feel that they are detrimental to working people. About one-third of those surveyed think that unions have a positive impact on the U.S. economy. Whereas 22% believe they harm the economy.
Additionally, a Gallup poll conducted in August reported that 67% of Americans approve of labor unions. While this figure is down four points from 2022. It represents a significant increase from a low of 48% in 2009.
Rachel Collins, a fifth-grade teacher and a union member in Chicago. Expresses hope that the ongoing UAW strike could help reverse the longstanding decline in labor power. And lead to higher wages for workers across the economy. She emphasizes that labor has been the foundation of the country’s progress, yet workers have not adequately compensated for their contributions. Over the past five decades. There has been a decline in the working class. And the concurrent rise of a billionaire class, with corporations profiting while workers are left with relatively less. majority of Americans express
Chris Ross, a mechanical engineer hailing from Oviedo, Florida, acknowledges. The auto workers’ need for increased wages to combat rising inflation. Nonetheless, he believes that these workers are already compensat more generously than their counterparts in other industries. He is concerned that the demands put forth by the union may result in elevated costs for car manufacturers, especially at a time. When they are contending with competitors like Tesla, which operate with lower labor costs due to being non-union.