Union favorability rises as local, national organizations unionize

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The latest Gallup poll on union favorability shows that 71% of Americans approve of unions. This is up from 52% a decade ago and has been rising ever since.

While favorability is rising, so is unionizing. The National Labor Relations Board said union election petitions are up 58% in the fiscal year 2022.

National chains such as Chipotle, Starbucks and Amazon are seeing workers organizing across the country.

This is happening at local organizations, as well. Daniel Boone Regional Library workers won their union vote in May and are now negotiating union contracts.

When DBRL Workers United became the first public library union in Missouri, library worker Dakota Hommes told ABC 17 they're already seeing improvements in communication with management.

"We've seen things start to improve just since our union went public," Hommes said. "We can see our union working in ways that they've been trying to improve transparency."

Zack Privette, president of the Columbia Professional Firefighters Union, is no stranger to the obstacles that come with trying to start a union. Before being active in Columbia's fire department, he tried to create a union at his old place of employment. He faced disciplinary actions, and even the threat of being fired.

"It's more important to me to work on behalf of the members who deserve the benefits and rights that employees should get," Privette said. "So if that comes at a little bit of a cost to me or my career, I'm happy to do that for them."

Privette also offered advice to workers who may be thinking about forming a union.

"Push for it, that's the biggest thing don't slow down," Privette said. "When you speak as one group, you're way more powerful than one individual speaking alone. In the long run, you may end up making and paying a sacrifice today, but the future brothers and sisters in the fire service or whatever employer you're working for will reap those benefits of your work today."

Columbia Missouri National Educators Association is an established union in Mid-Missouri. Vice President Alexander Tai said he understands the national trend shift toward unionizing when seeing the benefits of collective bargining.

"I think that is why you see Starbucks out there you see some of these other establishments trying to become unions because become unionized because they have this ability to sit down and talk about certain things that they are able to if they're not part of a union," Tai said.

Tai said one common criticism is the dues labor unions have to pay.

"The cost for being part of a union and we always, as CMNEA does, is we always tell them up front, these are the services you get when you pay your dues," Tai said.

Recently, the LiLUNA that represents many University of Missouri System employees has been fighting the University on a new proposed paid time off plan.

The union held protests on campus. A Board of Curators meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to go over the proposed policy change.