National public approval of unions is at rates similar to those of the 1950s and 60s. Local labor leaders say Missouri opinion is no exception to this national trend.
A Gallup poll from August 2024 shows that 70% of respondents approve of labor unions. This is the highest rate of approval Gallup has recorded in 60 years, second only to 71% in 2022.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of community support for our local unions,” Andrew Amidei said. Amidei is a mid-Missouri organizer for Missouri Jobs with Justice, an organizing group focused on social, racial and economic justice.
“Support in the community is trending in the right direction, people understand that unions are out there fighting for them,” he said.I'
But union membership has fallen since the 1980s when 20.1% of U.S. workers belonged to a union. In 2023, only 10% belonged to a union, according to the Pew Research Center.
Missouri union membership briefly peaked above the recent national average in 2019, with 12.5% of workers represented by unions. That subsequently dropped in 2020 to 10.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In 2024, 10.4% of Missouri workers were represented by unions.
Andrew Hutchinson, LiUNA Local 955‘s organizing director and representative, said the organization’s membership has continued to grow every year since the pandemic.
“We see more and more workers wanting to fight for a slice of the pie,” Hutchinson said. “Most of our members are folks who couldn’t work from home during the pandemic and still can’t; their jobs are essential. They’re cooking and cleaning and maintaining the infrastructure that we rely on.”
While union membership or representation hasn’t spiked nationally, Hutchinson said the rise in approval may be due to the workplace environment changing under the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think the pandemic showed folks that there’s always been money on the table for them to have a good chance at a good quality life,” he said.
