While the Trump Administration continues to escalate its attacks on workers and their unions, the American people remain firmly on the side of labor. A new Gallup poll released just ahead of Labor Day shows that nearly 7 in 10 Americans support unions—one of the highest levels in decades and a number that has held steady in recent years.
Support is particularly strong among younger Americans and people of color, with nearly three-quarters of both groups backing unions. Swing Independent voters are also increasingly supportive—69% say they favor unions, the highest level in more than 20 years.
The trust gap is striking. According to new AFL-CIO research conducted by David Binder Research, working people have lost confidence in nearly every major institution, from political parties to the Supreme Court to religious organizations. But unions buck the trend: a solid majority of workers view unions as trustworthy, with confidence levels running 20 points higher than either the Democratic or Republican Party.
For those “on-the-edge” voters—workers worried about making ends meet, raising families, and securing retirement—three in four say unions are their best chance at a decent life and retirement with dignity.
The sentiment is not just about the present, but the long arc of the labor movement. Pew Research finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the decline of unions has been bad for working people and bad for the country as a whole. That view even includes a majority of Republicans under 35. And while Republican support for unions dipped overall this year, more than 4 in 10 GOP voters still express support—right in line with the 25-year average.
Yet, even as public support for unions remains strong, the Trump Administration is pushing in the opposite direction. Just days before Labor Day, President Trump issued a new executive order—an expansion of his March order—ripping away collective bargaining rights from federal workers at NASA, the International Trade Association, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other vital agencies.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler blasted the move, saying:
“This is how President Trump is commemorating Labor Day: continuing his administration’s all-out attack on workers and unions. This new executive order once again distorts the law by ripping away the collective bargaining rights of federal workers in an attempt to silence their voices on the job. Every one of these orders undercuts the government services we all rely on, especially after his administration has already recklessly gutted staff… When those workers can’t speak up on the job and make sure their offices are serving the American people, we are all at risk.”
Shuler underscored the insult of issuing the order just before Labor Day, calling it proof of the administration’s “callous disregard for workers’ rights.” She vowed that the labor movement “will never stop organizing and fighting for each other—and we’ll see him in court.”
The takeaway this Labor Day is crystal clear: Americans stand strongly behind unions. They view organized labor as not only trustworthy, but as a vital force for protecting wages, retirement security, and worker safety.
Politicians should take note. Attacks on unions and collective bargaining remain wildly unpopular. Supporting working people and the right to organize, on the other hand, is one of the rare issues that unites Americans across party lines.
