Republicans Approve Unions, But Only As Long As They Don’t Get Any Power
KEY POINTS
- •A majority of Republicans (52%) now approve of unions for only the second time in 25 years, yet 49% want less union power.
- •Union approval among all Americans is 71%, with a record 47% wanting more influence, but union membership remains near historic lows at 11%.
- •Despite Democratic majorities, key laws like the Employee Free Choice Act stalled, while House Republicans launched aggressive union investigations in 2024.
In a stunning plot twist worthy of 'The Office,' 52% of Republicans now say 'union yes,' marking only the second time since 1999 they've called for a labor handshake instead of a cold shoulder. Meanwhile, 49% of them want unions to lose influence faster than your Wi-Fi at a Zoom meeting. Overall, union approval hits 71%, matching 2022’s nostalgia-filled high, with even Democrats soaring at 89% approval. Yet only 11% of American workers actually have union cards, down from 23% in 1983 — that’s like loving McDonald’s but only ordering salad. The National Labor Relations Board is swamped, with union petitions doubling to 3,286 in 2024, but Congress keeps ghosting labor’s big acts, like the Employee Free Choice Act, while even Democrats named Mark, Mark, and Kyrsten perform political ghosting worthy of a Netflix drama. Biden showed up on picket lines (nice flex, Joe), but Trump’s legacy includes firing union-friendly officials faster than you can say 'collective bargaining.' Meanwhile, House Republicans investigate unions like they’re the IRS after a wild party. So Americans love unions in theory, but turning that into actual union muscle is still a very ‘dial-up internet’ situation.
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(1 of 3)When half your party loves unions but calls for their death sentence, politics just did the biggest ‘break up but don’t really’ move since 2000-vs-the-floppy-disk romance.
Republicans loving unions like a cat loving a bath: intrigued, confused, and ready to swipe you in the face if you get too close.
Calling labor 'popular' while blocking their power is like throwing a birthday party but refusing to buy the cake.
Source: Axios | Published: 9/3/2026 | Author: Andrew Pantazi
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