Gauging public reaction to labor unions is one of the longest running trends maintained by The Gallup Poll. The question "Do you approve or disapprove of labor unions?" was first asked in 1936, a year after Congress passed the Wagner Act establishing the right of most private sector employees to join unions, to bargain collectively with their employers, and to strike.

Seven decades later, Americans have maintained a generally favorable view of unions, with the most recent update from Gallup showing 59 percent of those surveyed back unions, while only 29 percent disapprove of them.

Gallup's poll is in line with other recent surveys about the Employee Free Choice Act, which show nearly two-thirds of battleground state voters and 68% of the middle class support giving workers the free choice to join unions with the Employee Free Choice Act.

Only about 1 in 10 Americans belong to a labor union, according to Gallup's recent estimates, and about one in six U.S. households include a union member. Yet more than half of all U.S. workers--nearly 60 million--say they would join a union right now if they could.

The American public knows that unions are an important way to rebuild our middle class, and voters are supportive of measures like the Employee Free Choice Act.  It seems like the only people standing in the way of this change for America's workers are a handful of greedy CEOs.

 More from the December 1 update by Gallup here.