Labor Day Parades Across America Rock with Growing Support for Unions

SEIU parade

The nation’s growing support for unions is a huge sign of encouragement for those who have watched the attempts to decimate and destroy decades of hard work. An August 2015 Gallup poll found that the nation’s approval of labor unions has jumped five points over the past year to a six-year high.

According to Gallup:

Americans’ approval of labor unions has jumped five percentage points to 58% over the past year, and is now at its highest point since 2008, when 59% approved. In the interim, the image of organized labor had suffered, sinking to an all-time low of 48% in 2009.

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Consistent with the recent increase in approval of unions, the percentage of Americans saying they would like labor unions to have more influence in the country has also been rising, and now stands at 37%, up from 25% in 2009. Meanwhile, the percentage wanting unions to have less influence has declined from 42% to 35%, although it remains higher than it was from 1999 through 2008. Instead, fewer today say they want unions’ influence to stay the same.

The SEIU shared this video from a parade:

The AFL-CIO shared this on Instagram, noting “It’s good to be union this #LaborDay #1u”:

AFL-CIO Inst

Rhonda Bletner, Editor at Richland Source, shared this:

The following is a collection of unprofessional photos of the Labor Day Parade in Detroit, Michigan, where union support has a strong history.

Click to enlarge:



Photo Credit: “Anonymous Peace Worker and Union Supporter”

It is with great pleasure on this Labor Day that I point out that the 2016 Republican presidential candidate who is infamous for attacking unions is totally bombing as a national candidate. The Kochs couldn’t buy Scott Walker the White House.

President Obama used Labor Day to sign an executive order to expand rights for federal workers with paid sick leave (as President, Obama is limited to changing laws for federal workers, Congress must change them for everyone else). His administration will also host a White House summit on Worker Voice in the fall.

Meanwhile, as more and more people come together to take a stand for a living wage, people are beginning to appreciate what the union did for all labor, not just union members. When the people stick together, they have the power. That is true in unions and it is true in politics.



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