Wash. Times Falsely Suggests Americans Oppose Unions

Wash Times: "Americans Are Starting To Catch On To The 'Us Vs. Them' Attitude Of The Unions." A March 11 Washington Times editorial claimed that “Americans are starting to catch on to the 'us vs. them' attitude of the unions” and cited a Quinnipiac poll that the Times said “found more national voters support limiting collective bargaining for public employees in order to reduce state deficits.” From the Times:

Americans are starting to catch on to the “us vs. them” attitude of the unions. The unruly mob camped out in Madison has made few friends with the hateful signs and nasty rhetoric. A Quinnipiac poll found more national voters support limiting collective bargaining for public employees in order to reduce state deficits. That feeling will grow as those spoiled with lifetime employment and automatic raises betray the selfishness of their cause. [The Washington Times, 3/11/11]

Quinnipiac: 45% Say “Collective Bargaining For Public Employees Should Be Limited” In Order To “Reduce State Budget Deficits”; 42% Oppose Limits. While the Times did not cite a specific Quinnipiac poll, a February 21-28 Quinnipiac poll found that 45 percent of respondents favored “limiting collective bargaining for public employees” in order to “reduce state budget deficits.” Forty-two percent of respondents opposed limits on collective bargaining. [Quinnipiac University, 3/2/11]

Fifty Percent Of Respondents In Same Quinnipiac Poll Thought Public Employees Were Not Being Paid Too Much. According to the same February 21-28 Quinnipiac poll, 35 percent of those polled say public employees are paid “about right” and another 15 percent say that they are paid “too little,” while 42 percent say they are paid too much. In total, 50 percent of respondents thought public employees were not being paid too much. [Quinnipiac University, 3/2/11]

However, Numerous Other Polls Have Found Americans Strongly Support Unions, Collective Bargaining

Bloomberg: 64% “Say Public Employees Should Have The Right To Bargain Collectively For Their Wages.” In an article about its March 4-7 poll, Bloomberg reported that "[s]ixty-four percent of respondents, including a plurality of Republicans, say public employees should have the right to bargain collectively for their wages." Bloomberg further noted that "[s]ixty-three percent, including 55 percent of Republicans, say states without enough money to pay for all the pension benefits they have promised to current retirees shouldn't be able to break those obligations." [Bloomberg, 3/9/11]

Bloomberg: "[P]oll Respondents With A Favorable View Of Unions Outnumber Those With An Unfavorable View 49-To-40 Percent." Reporting on its March 4-7 poll, Bloomberg wrote: “Overall, poll respondents with a favorable view of unions outnumber those with an unfavorable view 49-to-40 percent.” [Bloomberg, 3/9/11]

NBC/WSJ Poll: 62 Percent Are Against Stripping Public Employees' Bargaining Rights. A February 24-28 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that “62 percent say it's unacceptable...to eliminate [public] employees' collective-bargaining rights as [sic] way to deal with state budget deficits,” while just 33 percent of those polled would support eliminating those rights. [MSNBC, 3/2/11]

NYT/CBS Poll Shows Overwhelming Support For Union Workers. A February 28 New York Times/CBS News Poll found that “Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities of Democrats and independents who said they opposed weakening them.” [The New York Times, 2/28/11]

USA Today/Gallup Poll Shows Majority Support For Union Workers. In a USA Today/Gallup Poll from February 22, results show that while Republicans supported limiting the rights of union workers by a 54 percent to 41 percent margin, 79 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents polled were against limiting union bargaining rights, representing the majority of total persons polled. As USA Today reported, overall, "[t]he poll found 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to such a proposal in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law." [USA Today, 2/22/11]