The data is clear: Americans overwhelmingly support fire fighters and their unions.
More than seven in 10 have a favorable view of labor organizations representing the fire service, according to a new YouGov poll. The International Association of Fire Fighters is the labor union for fire fighters in the United States.
“Americans know and trust fire fighters,” said General President Edward Kelly. “Communities nationwide know we have their backs – whether we are responding to an emergency, at the bargaining table in city hall, or testifying on Capitol Hill. The safety and well-being of those we serve comes first.”
The survey, conducted at the end of August, asked 1,130 U.S. adults how they felt about organized labor in the United States. It also asked how respondents viewed some 20 different labor unions, representing all different trades, from nurses and electricians to restaurant workers, teamsters, and fire fighters.
Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of those surveyed had a very or somewhat favorable view of fire fighter unions – the highest favorability rating of any trade union. The results come amid a recent surge in popularity of organized labor in the U.S., which YouGov found a strong majority of Americans now say they support.
The YouGov poll was published just weeks after Gallup – a highly respected U.S. polling outlet – released its annual survey asking Americans how they feel about labor unions. In 2009, labor unions had their lowest approval rating on record, with just 48 percent of Americans saying they approved of organized labor. Today, seven in 10 Americans view trade unions positively – a near-record high.
Fire fighter unions also had the lowest unfavorable rating of any labor organization. Just 13 percent of respondents said they had a negative view of unions representing fire fighters.
Communities nationwide know we have their backs – whether we are responding to an emergency, at the bargaining table in city hall, or testifying on Capitol Hill. The safety and well-being of those we serve comes first.
General President Edward A. Kelly
Nurses’ unions (69 percent), construction workers’ unions (67 percent), electricians’ unions (66 percent), and railroad worker unions (60 percent) all had strong favorability ratings, rounding out America’s top five most popular labor groups.
Fire fighters’ popularity is consistent across the board, even when adjusting for other factors like respondents’ gender, age, region, and socioeconomic status.
The popularity also crosses political party lines, with 82 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans having a positive view of fire fighter unions. Fire fighters have the second-highest favorability rating among registered Democrats, just one point behind teachers’ unions. Fire fighter unions are tied with police unions for the most popular labor unions among Republicans.
Political leaders in both parties have taken note of the growing trend in favor of organized labor, with both presidential campaigns working to tailor their messaging to appeal to union voters.
Just last month, both major party nominees for Vice President – Senator J.D. Vance (R-O.H.) and Governor Tim Walz (D-M.N.), spoke at the IAFF’s 57th Convention and asked for the union’s endorsement in the upcoming election. You can watch their full speeches here. It was the first time both the Republican and Democrat vice presidential nominees appeared in front of an IAFF Convention in modern history – a clear signal that both campaigns recognize the power of having a political endorsement from America’s most popular labor organization.
