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Support for Unions Hits 70-Year High as US Workers See Power of Organized Labor
"People know and understand that life is better in a union," said the head of one of the biggest U.S. labor groups.
Aug 29, 2024
Despite corporate-backed efforts to erode union power in the United States for more than a century, U.S. public support for organized labor is higher than it's been in seven decades, according to a survey published ahead of Monday's Labor Day holiday.
The annual Gallup Labor Day poll revealed that 70% of Americans approve of labor unions, while 23% disapprove. That's up from last year's 67% approval rate. Two years ago, 71% of survey respondents said they were pro-union, but 26% disapproved, meaning this year's 47-point approval margin was slightly wider than in 2022.
The upswing in support for organized labor—which paradoxically comes even as U.S. union membership remains near an all-time low—has been attributed to a wave of successful organizing in recent years including the unionization of more than 480 Starbucks stores across the country.
"People know and understand that life is better in a union," said Lee Saunders, who is president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, in response to the survey. "They know it means a bigger paycheck, better healthcare coverage, a more secure retirement, a safer workplace, and a lot more."
"Strong unions mean more vibrant communities and a healthier democracy," Saunders added. "When you belong to a union, you have a voice. You're not under the boss' thumb. You have the power in numbers to make change on the job. And when unions thrive—when we can stand together to improve wages and working conditions—everyone benefits."
Recent organized labor wins are reflected in this year's survey finding that 34% of respondents believe that unions will become stronger than they are today—up from 19% last year.
"From cultural institutions to healthcare and childcare, working people across the country are showing the power they have in a union to negotiate better pay, to strengthen benefits and job security, to improve worker safety, and to invest in a strong retirement," Saunders said. "Americans know that unions give working people the freedom to get ahead."
"During this high-stakes election year, we need to seize this moment and ride this wave," Saunders asserted. "On one side, you have the architects of Project 2025, who want to stop our momentum in its tracks, who want to crush us, who are even proposing an outright ban of public service unions like AFSCME," he said, referring to the groups and individuals—including at least 140 members of former President Donald Trump's administration—who have been involved in the far-right plan to overhaul the federal government. Trump is the 2024 Republican nominee.
"On the other side," Saunders added, the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "want to strengthen our freedoms."
"Vice President Harris led the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to crack down on union-busting and expand protections for working people," the union leader noted with a nod to Walz's membership in Minnesota's teachers union.
Responding to the poll, the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement that "support for unions is soaring—and so is support for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz's fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to join a union."
"From educators to construction workers, healthcare professionals to public employees, and farmworkers to manufacturers, the already long list of unions representing workers across all sectors of the economy joining the Harris-Walz ticket is getting longer each week because the Harris-Walz ticket stands with working people," the statement continued.
"Workers across the country are energized and mobilized like never before because they trust Harris and Walz to not only fight for them, but to hold anti-worker scabs Donald Trump and JD Vance accountable for putting themselves and their union-busting buddies above workers' rights and American jobs," the campaign added.
The new poll came as Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump's running mate, was booed Thursday in Boston after telling attendees of the International Association of Fire Fighters convention that he's proud to be on "the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history."
While numerous unions have endorsed Harris, Trump has struggled in his efforts to court organized labor.
"We can't go backwards now," Saunders said. "We can't jeopardize the progress of recent years. We need to build on it. A labor movement with overwhelming public support is a powerful force."
"As we observe Labor Day, let's commit to using that power over the next two months to ensure victory for pro-worker candidates at all levels, up and down the ballot," he added.
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Outrage Brewing Over Starbucks CEO's Private Jet 'Supercommute'
"These jets are a stark symbol of social and climate injustice, where a privileged few indulge in the most environmentally damaging form of travel for mere convenience," said one Greenpeace campaigner.
Aug 23, 2024
Green groups' anger percolated this week after it was revealed that Brian Niccol, Starbucks' new CEO, will "supercommute" approximately 1,000 miles between one of his homes in California and the coffee giant's Seattle headquarters three times a week.
A Starbucks spokesperson said earlier this week that "while Brian will have an office in Southern California, his primary office and a majority of his time will be spent in our Seattle Support Center."
"When he is not traveling for work, he will be in our Seattle office at least three days a week, in alignment with our hybrid work policies," the spokesperson added. "He will also have a home in Seattle."
"A private jet flight causes about 10 times more CO2 emissions than a regular flight per flight per person."
Greenpeace—which for years has been running a campaign to ban private jets and regularly stages protests against them at airports around the world—led condemnation of Niccol's harmful commute.
"As the world faces unprecedented heatwaves, droughts, floods, and other dire consequences of an accelerating climate crisis, it is unjustifiable for companies to offer company aircraft as employee perks," Greenpeace campaigner Clara Thompson toldThe Washington Post on Thursday.
"These jets are a stark symbol of social and climate injustice, where a privileged few indulge in the most environmentally damaging form of travel for mere convenience," Thompson added.
As Greenpeace notes:
A private jet flight causes about 10 times more CO2 emissions than a regular flight per flight per person, and 50 times more than the average train ride. Eighty percent of the world's population have never flown, yet they're the ones most impacted by the climate crisis. In just one hour, a single private jet can emit two tons of CO2. The global average energy-related carbon footprint is around 4.7 tons of CO2 per person per year.
While private jets account for a tiny fraction of global greenhouse emissions, the world's richest 1% produce more than double the emissions of the poorest 50%, and a single billionaire produces a million times more emissions than an average person, according to a 2022 Oxfam study.
Some critics accused Starbucks—which in 2020 set a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% this decade—of hypocrisy, with one social media user contrasting Niccol's private jet commute with the company's introduction of widely despised and environmentally dubious paper straws. Another eagle-eyed observer spotted a book titled How to Avoid a Climate Disaster on display in Niccol's office in a Wall Street Journal article photo.
"I'm sure that private jet will use sustainable aviation fuel," climate scientist David Ho quipped on social media.
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New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol Has a History of Union-Busting
Niccol's tenure as Chipotle CEO was marred by settlements over unfair labor practices and child labor law violations.
Aug 13, 2024
Labor advocates responded to Tuesday's announcement that global coffee giant Starbucks hired Brian Niccol as its new chief executive officer by highlighting his history of union-busting during his previous job as CEO of the fast-food chain Chipotle.
Starbucks' move to replace former CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Niccol comes as the company's share price has fallen amid an ongoing unionization wave by its workers and boycotts over its perceived support for Israel, which is on trial for genocide at the World Court over its war on Gaza.
"We are thrilled to welcome Brian to Starbucks. His phenomenal career speaks for itself," Starbucks board chair Mellody Hobson said in a statement announcing his hiring. "Like all of us at Starbucks, he understands that a remarkable customer experience is rooted in an exceptional partner experience."
Niccol—who will be Starbucks' fourth CEO in just two years—said he is "energized by the tremendous potential to drive growth and further enhance the Starbucks experience for our customers and partners, while staying true to our mission and values."
Starbucks refers to its workers as "partners."
However, More Perfect Union noted that, under Niccol's leadership, Chipotle closed a store in Augusta, Maine in 2022 after employees there tried to make it the company's first unionized location. The workers filed a complaint at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which ruled that the closure was an illegal act of union-busting.
Last year, Chipotle agreed to pay former workers at the Augusta store $240,000 as part of a settlement over the illegal closure. The company also settled another unfair labor practices charge after the NLRB sided with workers at a Lawrence, Kansas Chipotle who accused management of thwarting their unionization drive.
While the Augusta workers failed to unionize their store, employees of another Chipotle—this one in Lansing, Michigan—overcame what More Perfect Union called "egregious union-busting" and voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 243.
During Niccol's tenure, Chipotle also paid to settle child labor law violations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.
According to the Financial Times, Starbucks' decision to oust Narasimhan came after pressure from activist investor Elliott Management and former company CEO Howard Schultz, a notorious union-buster.
Niccol will take over as Starbucks CEO on September 9. Until then, chief financial officer Rachel Ruggeri will serve as interim CEO.
According to the Starbucks Workers United union, employees at more than 470 Starbucks locations across the United States have voted to unionize since baristas at a store on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, New York became the first to do so in late 2021.
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