United Automobile Workers

Oct 02 2023

NEW POLL: Supermajority of Americans Support UAW Over Automakers in Fight Against Big Three Corporate Greed

According to a new poll, nearly four out of five Americans support the UAW over the Big Three automakers in the ongoing Stand Up Strike. Across partisan and demographic lines, a supermajority of Americans are standing with the UAW in the union’s fight against corporate greed at the Big Three.

The poll, conducted by Navigator Research, suggests that support for UAW members has increased since the strike started on September 15.

  • A Gallup poll conducted in August showed that 75 percent of the public sided with union members against the companies.
  • The new poll finds that 78 percent of Americans support the UAW. That includes registered Republicans who back the UAW 69 percent to 31 percent over the Big Three.

African American and Asian-American respondents show the strongest support for the strikers, with 85 percent of each group backing the UAW. White Americans also overwhelmingly side with the union, with 75 percent supporting the workers.

The Navigator Research poll also highlights the public’s overwhelming support for collective bargaining and the right to strike, including 74 percent of Republican voters.

The UAW’s Stand Up Strike is a new approach to striking. Instead of striking all plants all at once, select locals have been called on to “Stand Up” and walk out on strike. If the automakers fail to make progress in negotiations, more locals are called on to Stand Up and join the strike against that company.

The strike began with walkouts at three assembly plants in three states. The strike has since expanded to five assembly plants and 38 parts distribution facilities in 21 states across the country. Currently, 25,000 UAW members are on strike at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.

The Big Three made a quarter-trillion dollars in North American profits over the last decade. They made $21 billion in total profits in just the first six months of this year. Over the last four years, average pay for Big Three CEOs has jumped 40 percent, but UAW wages have risen only 6 percent. UAW members are asking for a fair share of the profits they’ve made.

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JF:JM:sr:opeiu494/afl-cio

Contact Information

Jonah Furman
UAW
847-903-2376
jfurman@uaw.net

Feldman Strategies, team@feldmanstrategies.com