Gallup released the results of a new poll last Friday (August 29, 2025) showing that the majority of Americans continue to support unions. Union approval was 68% in 2025, the fifth year in a row that support for organized labor was between 67%-71%. This level of union support is historic, only passed by support in the 1950’s, when union density was around 30%. Americans clearly recognize unions as a path toward a more equitable, worker-focused economy.
Important demographic differences emerge when you dig deeper into these data. Union support is higher among younger people than among the general population. In 2025, 72% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 supported unions, while only 64% of people aged 55+ indicated support. This high level of union support among younger people is notable, as younger people represent the future of unionism, including expanding unionism into the broad service sector. Between 2024 and 2025 the partisan gap for union support widened, as Republican support for unions declined from 49% to 41%.
High Union Support, but Low Union Density?
While public support for unions is strong, “union density”, or the share of workers represented by a union, is low. Our 2025 “State of Working Pennsylvania” report outlined data showing that private sector union density in Pennsylvania is at 7.3%. Significant employer opposition has created a disconnect where unions struggle to translate the increasing levels of union support and increased interest into higher union density. Research shows that in 2024, 60 million workers would join a union if they could, yet U.S. union density declined that year. Union density continues to stagnate after decades of decline in part due to significant employer opposition and weak federal labor law that fails to protect workers’ right to unionize. Despite high levels of support, this decline may continue as employers feel emboldened by recent federal orders that further undermine workers’ rights.
President Trump orchestrated the largest union bust in American history when he ordered that most federal workers cannot be represented by a union due to the supposed national security risk, undermining the collective bargaining agreements that give workers access to breaks during long shifts, family leave, and pathways to report problems without fear of retaliation. President Trump also fired NLRB Board member Gwynne Wilcox, breaking the quorum and impeding the functioning of the NLRB. These direct attacks on union rights may have broader consequences, as they act as a signal to anti-union employers and may embolden employers to try more aggressive unionbusting tactics. We are already seeing employers use the NLRB’s lack of quorum as an excuse to delay the certification of union election results, even though regional directors can certify election results.
The Union Contagion Effect—Spreading Solidarity
Despite growing employer and governmental opposition, workers are still organizing to fight for better wages and working conditions. As highlighted in our State of Working Pennsylvania 2025 report, the “union contagion effect” could provide a path forward for the resurgence of the labor movement. This is the phenomenon where workers unionize after they see their peers successfully unionize and gain better wages and working conditions. Six new bargaining units have been formed at the University of Pennsylvania since 2021. These units represent graduate students, museum workers, medicine residents and interns, resident assistants (RA’s), post-doc researchers and library staff. These new unions illustrate the union contagion effect and younger people’s growing appetite for unions as well as a broader trend of increased union organizing in higher education.
Other recent successful and high-profile unionization drives show the potential for union spread via large employers: Nurses at UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and workers at Whole Foods in Philadelphia. Their successful unionization could provide a foot in the door for other organizing efforts at UPMC and Whole Foods.
Lawmakers Can Help Protect Organizing Rights
Growth of organized labor will require elected officials to step up and protect workers’ rights. The Pennsylvania legislature should update and reintroduce the Pennsylvania Workers’ Bill of Rights, incorporating protections passed in other states, such as:
- Allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits.
- Outlaw captive-audience meetings.
- Require employers to share updated employee lists with unions, including new hires.
When legislative action is not possible, legislators should take to the “bully pulpit” and use their positions of influence to support unionization campaigns. Not only does this put pressure on employers to allow their employees to unionize, it also can help raise the morale of workers fighting for a union.
Organized labor plays a key role in ensuring workers are compensated fairly for their work. As wages stagnate and inflation risks grow, the progress of unionism into the broad service sector will be essential to prevent workers from being left behind. Public approval, as the Gallup poll affirms, shows that Americans support unions. This widespread support suggests that organized labor still has the potential to make a comeback.