Seventy-one percent of Americans approve of labor unions, according to a new Gallup poll.
That ties the highest approval rating Gallup has recorded since the 1960s. A record 47% of Americans also said they want unions to have more influence – nearly twice the 23% who want them to have less.
“Every day, the IAFF is working to make communities safer and improve the lives of our members and their families,” General President Edward Kelly said. “Those results demonstrate the power of unions like ours and are why more and more fire fighters and emergency medical workers are choosing to join the IAFF.”
Nearly 50,000 members have become part of the IAFF since Kelly and General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma first took office in 2021.
Every day, the IAFF is working to make communities safer and improve the lives of our members and their families. Those results demonstrate the power of unions like ours and are why more and more fire fighters and emergency medical workers are choosing to join the IAFF.
General President Edward Kelly
Support remains strong across generations.
Gallup found 77% of 18–34-year-olds, 74% of 35–54-year-olds, and 67% of those 55 and older all had a favorable view of unions. A separate analysis of 2024 polling found that Americans favor unions over major corporations by the widest margin since the 1960s.
Union support also crosses partisan lines.
Gallup found that 89% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 52% of Republicans approve of unions.
So far this year, 5,392 fire fighters and emergency medical workers have joined the IAFF across 59 newly organized Locals and departments, bringing the union’s total membership to 368,226 across the United States and Canada.
