Organized Labor has Friendly Environment, But Card Check Could be in Trouble

National polls in general show Americans sympathetic to labor unions. A 2008 Gallup Poll showed 59 percent approve of unions. In Colorado, organized labor has with liberal and Democratic allies and weak or divided business opposition passed a generous minimum wage initiative in 2006 and defeated a “right to work” initiative in 2008.

However, a recent national poll shows only 53 percent of public approve of the unions’ new “card check” legislation, which will allow union organizations to simply collect signed authorization forms from workers instead of requiring elections based on secret ballots (see Gallup Poll).

The biggest concern for labor leaders and their allies is that support for card check is primarily among those who are not following the issue. The more attentive public is either strongly opposed or closely divided on the issue.